


Frans Week: Bittersweet treats

by Zeliez



Series: The fibula-us Fransfiction of mine [4]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk (Undertale), Angst, Another Undertale Fanfiction spoilers, Determination (Undertale), F/M, Female Frisk (Undertale), Flashbacks, Frans - Freeform, Frans Week, Frisk (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Frisk x Sans - Freeform, Marriage Proposal, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Pre-Undertale, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Sans x Frisk, Slavery, Soulmates, Undertale Genocide Route, Witches, alternative universes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22571575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeliez/pseuds/Zeliez
Summary: Can we talk about love when confession seems to be a distant memory?Can we say that we love each other when we are afraid of the other and their past?Can we really say "thank you" when the gift seems poisoned?Can we speak about seasons that pass when we only hunt time?Can we talk about soul mates despite the distance?Who are you to say your romance is a fairy tale?Does Valentine’s Day celebrate love or the idea of love?Love is only a treat that seems so sweet from afar but when you taste it, you realize how bitter it is when it ended.for Frans Week:Day 1: ConfessionDay 2: FearsDay 3: GiftsDay 4: SeasonsDay 5: DistanceDay 6: Fairy TalesDay 7: Valentine's
Relationships: Frisk/Sans (Undertale)
Series: The fibula-us Fransfiction of mine [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1583776
Comments: 10
Kudos: 46
Collections: Frans Week





	1. Day 1: Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axetale AU  
> It's hard to see that once this wild and hungry world was a peaceful place for a strange and fascinating species that are monsters.  
> Now this world is only a shadow of itself.  
> And most of them have forgotten the happy events of the past, their morals, their lives before.  
> Sans is one of the few monsters who remembers that time when the Hunger and security of Papyrus and Aliza didn't constantly occupy his mind.  
> He doesn’t like to remember it, it reminds him that he lives in a horrible world.  
> But he should have seen this question coming from Aliza.  
> "How did you and Mom fall in love?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Axetale © @thebananahasspoken
> 
> Can we talk about love when confession seems to be a distant memory?

Sans doesn't like remembering his life from before.

A life where he was married, happy, where Frisk was by his side, where hunger wasn't a problem and where he was more concerned about the state of his future child’s room than about the meat that would be acquired.

This often reminds him of his present situation.

Frisk died, Aliza fell into that crazy world that broke him and his brother. Hunger is constant and he's often close to falling to dust.

But what would a parent do for their child?

Everything, absolutely everything.

Even remember ancient times that are more bitter than sweet.

"Hey… How did you and Mom fall in love?"

When he hears this question, the two lights of his eye sockets disappear completely, scaring his daughter. His hand slowly moves towards his necklace, which still hangs around his neck, for which he takes it slowly and whispers words that she cannot perceive.

"Dad?"

Slowly, the bluish glow of one of his eye light returns, reassuring her. He stares at her, saddened. But eventually, he smiled at her gently and slipped one of his hands on one of her cheeks, affectionately.

*'liza.

He sighs and passes his hand on the bracelet that Aliza wears. He remains silent for a few seconds while he stares at the blue light that emanates from it.

*...it’s a long story.

"You never told me!"

A red butterfly lands slowly on Aliza’s shoulder, Sans glares at it, clearly irritated by the presence of Ruby but he ignores it and focuses on her daughter who seems fascinated by the coming story.

*how we fell in love, eh…

He doesn't allow himself to be distracted by the butterfly who looks at him with affection and sorrow.

*well…

*why do you ask?

Aliza automatically lowers her gaze, embarrassed. Her hands shake as she fondles them, nervously.

“Well… She’s my mother, but I know so little about her and… Grandma didn’t like to talk about her… she often confused me with her and then you… often seem… sad when we talk about her… But I would just like to understand...”

She sighs and closes her eyes.

"You don’t have to answer, it’s a stupid question, sorry..."

*...you're right. she’s your mother, you have every right to want to know who she was and what she was doing.

He sighs, half amused and disturbed by the subject of conversation. He slowly pulls his hood off and gets closer to her.

*well, i guess it’s storytime, huh?

Aliza nods slowly, both hesitant and eager to know her parents' story.

*heh.

_______________

Love.

It's not a foreign notion for Sans. He particularly and tenderly loves his brother. And long ago, he also had a father that he loved with all of his metaphorical heart.

But romantic love is still very foreign to him.

He has never, but really never, ever expressed any attraction to anyone. It was never a problem, he lived very well without the experience of romantic love and he had the mind more busy for more dangerous and serious problems.

The Resets, the genocides, Flowey…

That kind of thing.

So when he found out that his soul was starting to get excited around Frisk and he was losing control of his emotions, his first reaction was fear.

He didn’t know these feelings and he didn’t want them. He wanted to make them disappear and completely forget his soul that did anything in the presence of the young woman.

But was his soul going to listen to him? Ah! Of course not!

It was the opposite actually, he started thinking about her all the time. It was to wonder if he had only her in his mind.

What does she like? How would she react? What would she say in this situation? What does she want? What does she do? How is she? Is she okay? Is she happy? Does she like him?

Well, that last question came towards the end.

But at first, he wondered if he wasn’t sick and wasn’t becoming obsessed with his thoughts constantly about her.

He tried to ignore what was going on and gradually ignore her.

But his mind and soul, which had clearly rebelled against his logic, began to do more, because it seemed that it was still possible.

The thoughts, which expressed only concern, began to be emotional.

Then the emotional thoughts turned into sinners one.

He never felt so dirty in his entire life when it appeared.

And Frisk, the innocent spirit that she is, wasn’t helping.

She was always a woman who liked to flirt, and usually, he found it amusing.

But you remember mind and soul, the two who like to do anything against him?

Well, they continued!

And then he entered the world of jealousy and nervousness.

He couldn’t help but blush when she flirted with him, and when it was others, he felt certain anger rise, quite passive, certainly, but always present enough to ruin his mood.

And as he went through all sorts of events, and soul and mind that had clearly made a pact against him, he ended up at that stage.

How do you tell a woman that you love her?

"ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT..."

*no thanks, papyrus.

He never thought that one day he would face this problem.

Doubt to admit your love to your loving interest, fear of rejection…

Although he would deserve it, with everything he’s done to her…

He sighs.

"YOU MUST BE YOURSELF, SANS! NO MATTER WHETHER SHE ACCEPTS OR NOT, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE CLOSE LIKE BEFORE!"

*...i don’t know, Paps.

That too.

It’s unknown and scary. He never prepared for this, he never expected that one day he would fall in love and feel attracted to someone.

He always thought the only person he would love would be his brother and that was enough for him.

And then Frisk came along and completely destroyed all of his certainties.

He doesn’t know what to think.

He would have preferred to ignore this empty and throbbing feeling in his soul.

It would have been so much easier.

He was convinced that he wasn't interested in this kind of thing.

Yet here he's, asking too many questions about all the situations that can happen and how to respond to her reactions and answers.

"Papyrus is right, Sans. Just be yourself. Frisk is one of the most merciful people in the entire Underground. She’ll never judge you on what you say."

*tori…

The queen herself came to help him in his distress.

Is there any worse humiliation?

…

…

Yes.

"I understand your fear, Sans. But it mustn't stop you, love is a beautiful thing..."

*what if it stops? what if, like you and asgore, everything stops?

Toriel sighs.

"I and Gorey weren't the best example. I left him because of his actions and..."

*and if the same thing happens, tori? and if i also do…

"It’s not thinking like that that you’re going to move forward, Sans."

The skeleton is still nervous.

*i… this is the first time… that something like this happens, tori. i’m not… i don’t even know what to do. even if she accepts, i don’t even know what to do…

"Behave with her as you wish, Sans. She will push you back if it's too much or encourages you if it's not enough. Communication is a necessity in a relationship.

*i never do enough.

Papyrus and Toriel sigh at the same time.

"Sans. Look at me."

The skeleton raises his head, embarrassed and nervous.

"What do you want to do with Frisk? What do you want to say to her?"

*...i…

"Just let your emotions carry you. Let the doubt go and think, say out loud what you want with her."

He sighs and closes his eye sockets.

He stays silent for a few seconds.

*...i...i want to see her smile.

He inhales and exhales.

*i want to take her to waterfall and spend my days with her doing everything and nothing. i want to keep her laughing. i want to support her, kiss her, and help her in any trouble. i want to see her by my side in the morning.

Slowly the tension evaporates and his smile grows.

*i want to answer her stupid questions. i want her to look at me, smile at me. i want to please her and make her happy. i want… i would…give her some of my magic, i want to trust her and tell her everything, confide everything, my doubts, my secrets…

He’s shaking.

*i would like her to forgive me, i would like her to…

He inhales and then exhales and lets himself go.

*i would like Frisk to love me as much as i love her.

He opens his eye sockets when he hears a little sob.

His white pupils disappear when he sees Frisk, in front of him, in tears, but a big smile on her lips.

*frisk, i…

"Bonehead."

She shakes and then gets close to him and hugs him.

"Why … you didn’t say it earlier?"

*...what?

"Sans..."

She closes her eyes.

"I would also like you to forgive me and love me as much as I do."

*frisk, you shouldn’t, i’m… i…

"I don’t care what other people think, the possibilities afterward, the fates that can wait for us."

She lays her head gently on his shoulder.

"I live now. And that’s what counts. And now I love you and I intend to keep doing it for a long time."

*…

He sighs.

_*and if…_

_"Shhh. Shut up and enjoy instead of doubting."_

_*i’m sorry, i ain’t really sure if ya would return **back-bone** my feelings, ya know. i’m such a bonehead. _

_"Sans. Why do you always have to ruin the mood?"_

_*oh sorry for annoying you. **throw me a bone** , next time, heh? _

_"Sans..."_

"Dad..."

Sans opens his eye sockets and looking at his daughter, worried about his condition while he trembles.

*hey, ‘m fine, precious. that’s okay.

“You don’t look fine for me.”

She sighs.

"I… Maybe I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry."

*thats alright.

He inhales, deeply.

"I don’t know what to say."

*heh.

"I’d like to have a relationship like you and Mom someday."

*hm?

"Yes! You were… really in love."

*...yeah.

_we were._

Ruby looks Sans sadly who no longer looked at Aliza.

All he does is look away at the room behind the house with the door shut. His whole body still trembles.

"...Dad?"

*...it’s getting late, ‘liza. you should go to bed.

His deep voice is monotonous, his eyes don't leave the door in the distance.

Aliza doesn't complain, she silently goes to her room and looks for a few moments at her father who is in a deplorable state.

Tears run down his cheekbones, no light appears in his eye sockets.

She closes the door behind her.

The living room is empty a few moments later.

If we listen carefully to the condemned door from behind the house...

We hear sobs and a word that keeps repeating.

Frisk.

Frisk.

Frisk.


	2. Day 2: Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deltarune AU  
> How can you tell your sweet girlfriend that you see her kill you every night?  
> He wanted fate to leave him alone.  
> But it seems that it likes to screw up with his life.

It’s dark, the moon is already high in the sky. And the few people who walk at this hour can see the stars that decorate the heavenly vault.

The lights shut down and most of the world will lie under the sheets, sometimes alone, or with another person.

Yet, even though it's time to go to bed, Sans wakes up.

Suddenly.

He screams, his left eye light turns to blue while he opens his eye sockets quickly. His hand will land immediately on his chest to verify that there is no red fluid flowing.

He blinks.

Then close them and sighs.

He hates these visions, these nightmares.

He sits slowly and turns his head to his right, a young woman sleeps quietly with a smile on her lips.

He sighs.

It’s the same person who dreams by his side, who just killed him in one of his visions.

He spreads the blanket, sits on the side of the bed and looks at the starry sky that he can see from the window.

He hates fate.

He’s in a timeline where monsters have never been sealed underground. He has his brother by his side, and the Resets never disrupted his life.

But fate is a fucking asshole and likes to play with his life.

Of course, he had to fall in love with her.

He turns his head to the young woman who is still asleep.

Frisk.

_"Room 305, Room 305… Where are you hiding?"_

_A young woman runs through the long empty hallways of the school._

_"303...304...306… Ah!!! Why it must be me to be the unlucky today!"_

_She sighs and drops her various bags and starts looking inside one of them._

_"I must have the plan somewhere… Everyone has it… So I have to have it too!"_

_*lost?_

_She raises her head._

_A skeleton monster looks at her, amused._

_He has his hands in the pockets of his pants and wears a proper outfit aside from his pink slippers._

_"Yes! Excuse me! I’m looking for room 305! I have class and..."_

_*a student late, uh?_

_She shuts her mouth._

_She knows that she has always been a rather small woman and that this confused most people about her age._

_But it certainly wasn’t going to be a skeleton smaller than her that would remind her of her young-girl looks!_

_"Excuse me… ?! I am a teacher!"_

_*ah. i guess it’s a good day for your students._

_She’ growls at him._

_He laughs softly._

_*room 305, right? we’re right here._

_He casually points to the room where the door is open, many students chat with each other, and some of them stare at the scene she makes at the door, curious._

_*good luck making a good impression after this show with the kids._

_She sighs and picks up her bags._

_"Don’t you have a class instead of hanging out in the hallways?"_

_He laughs._

_*oh, please. i have a reputation to keep, i always arrive 40 minutes late. it’s a tradition._

_He looks at her and winks._

_*and i've a ton of work to do. a **skeleton**. _

_*like… help some people like you._

_She looks at him silently._

_"Do you just..."_

_*yup._

_She sighs._

_Then smiles softly._

_"Mister Punny, uh?"_

_She reaches out to him._

_"I'm Frisk."_

_*actually, although it sounds good, it’s not really my name._

_He shakes her hand._

_Her eyes open as the sound of a whoopee cushion echoes in the hallway._

_She takes a deep breath and laughs._

_"This is completely ridiculous..."_

_*i’m sans. sans the skeleton. nice to meet ya, frisk._

Fate is a fucking sadist.

**_"Keep dodging, Sansy… it just prolongs an already won game..."_ **

He sighs, still tired of his restless nights.

It’s been so long since he’s had a really calm night.

He was about to get up and go for a midnight snack, but he had a hand on his.

Frisk has one eye open.

"... Sans?"

He smiles at her, trying to reassure her.

*go back to sleep, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare.

_a nightmare where you kill me laughing like a fucking sadist with my brother’s dust on your clothes._

He shakes his head, trying to erase his thoughts.

"You want to talk about it?"

*nah… it’s nothing serious.

_genocide isn’t so serious, right?_

He gets up and slowly comes out of the room.

He sighs and leans against the wall, annoyed by his thoughts and his soul which is still trembling at his last vision.

Sans is the only sensitive to it.

The only one who remembers a timeline where monsters were underground, where monsters were desperate to surface.

The only one who remembers the different timelines of this same timeline.

Frisk led them to the surface. Frisk went alone to the surface. Frisk killed—

He groans.

He’d like to say it’s just a nightmare, it’s nothing.

But all his different visions are so numerous and so familiar that it can’t just be a nightmare.

He knows it’s true.

He would have liked to remain ignorant about all this, always be able to look Frisk in the eyes and always tell her that he loves her.

It would have been so much easier.

But fate is a sadist who’s always liked to screw up his life.

_______________

**Despite everything, it’s still you.**

Frisk looks at her reflection, quietly.

A cliché is often repeated, saying that women spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

Frisk thinks she’s one of those women.

But not for the same reason.

She often stays there, for several seconds, watching herself in the glass.

And she still sees that reflection for a very short time.

Often, it’s just dust.

But there’s blood sometimes.

Bones.

And a scary smile.

Her eyes are red.

A knife.

A blade.

**LOVE.**

She doesn’t like being alone.

Often, she ends up thinking about those dark moments.

And she still trembles.

She can't move.

In her reflection, she sees herself pierced by several bones, with someone familiar looking at her.

Someone who is too familiar.

A voice is calling.

_*frisk?_

_She turns around._

_Then, when she sees that it's Sans who is at the door, she beckons him to enter and then puts her head on the table._

_"I'm tired."_

_*yup. you look like dead._

_"Does a skeleton tell me that?"_

_*precisely. i'm an expert._

_He winks at her while she laughs softly._

_*so…_

_"Hm?"_

_*why are you so exhausted?_

_"Exams..."_

_*i knew you were a student despite yourself._

_"What?! No! I have exams to correct! That’s it! And all the students are unreadable!"_

_*you just have a particular vision. i can completely understand it._

_"Oh yeah? Then help me instead!"_

_*hm?_

_"Just read them, I’ll grade them down as it goes."_

_*...then…_

_"And you can’t add jokes between the lines."_

_*what?! how can you think that about me?! i’m outraged, ma'am._

_"I see you coming from miles, mister skeleton."_

*frisk?

**_*k i d ._ **

_MERCY_

_MERCY_

_MERCY_

_…_

**_*g e t d u n k e d o n._ **

"I’ll be right there."

She doesn’t know how to explain it to him.

_Hey! I just saw you in my reflection killing me again and again because I did really bad things! What are we having tonight?_

That’s not the best way to bring it forward.

She sighs and then comes out of the bathroom.

"I’ll be right there."

_______________

**"Interesting."**

**"Very interesting."**

A smile emerges on his usually cold face.

**"All right, so..."**

**"Partner?"**

And then he laughs.

**"How about some fun?"**

**"Let’s go back to our little game."**

_______________

Frisk is slowly approaching the door.

"I’m happy for Mom and Dad. Mom is so stubborn but they’re finally going to be able to move on and maybe re-create a bond, who knows."

*uh uh.

"I know it’s just one night, but I still hope Mom can forgive Dad."

*uh.

"Sans..."

*hm hm.

"Are you listening to me?"

*hm.

"I threw out all the ketchup bottles yesterday. You should start eating healthier."

*hm.

"Your brother started dating Mettaton."

*uh uh.

"I killed a man last night, and now that you’re an accomplice, you have to help me hide the body."

*hm.

"The law professor hit on me a few days ago. But since he knows I’m already taken, he asked if we could do a threesome."

Sans remains silent before turning to her, confused and surprised.

*...what?!

She laughs.

"It’s only now that you react?"

*what are you talking about, frisk? law professor? what the hell?

She smiles.

"It’s a lie, you know. I mean, aside from the part where he’s constantly trying to hit on me."

He sighs.

*why would you…

"Because you were still in your thoughts and didn’t care about what I say."

Frisk knocks at the door.

*who's there?

She rolls her eyes but grins.

"Water."

*water who?

"Water you doing, still standing there? Come in!"

The door opens with Toriel smiling at them, interrupting Frisk’s answer.

"Mama!"

The young woman hugs her mother.

Toriel looks at Frisk and Sans who go into the house and smiles at them.

"It’s really nice of you to watch Kris for tonight. I know that with college, you must be busy but I didn’t..."

"Don’t worry, Mom, it’s okay."

*yup. we **goat** it.

Toriel sighs, but she giggles.

Frisk hits softly Sans.

"Can you be serious sometimes..."

*well, i can't be serious if i'm sans.

Frisk sighs but laughs slightly in her turn.

"Whatever. Have a good night, Mom."

Then they close the door.

Sans looks silently at Frisk.

*...how much do we bet she only comes back in the morning?

"Sans! I’m not gonna bet on my mother’s sex life!"

*whaaaat...? are you giving up so fast?

"..."

She doesn't look at him, embarrassed.

"I bet a meal at a good restaurant. She’ll be back before midnight. It’s just the first date."

*after midnight. you buy me dinner.

"You don’t even know if you win!"

*but i **always** win!

_______________

"Big sis?"

Frisk and Sans were sitting on the couch watching another rerun of one of Mettaton’s shows.

Frisk had her head on Sans’s shoulder, her left arm wrapped with his own.

Sans slowly turns his head to look at the newcomer.

Then he gets tense.

A knife.

In the hands of a child.

A green and yellow striped sweater.

A smile.

_Dust._

_So much dust._

He’s shaking.

His magic trembles, ready to pierce the child’s body with bones.

He doesn’t care about their age, their identity.

It’s their actions that matter.

_a knife._

He just keeps shaking.

"Put it down, Kris."

Until he realizes he’s not alone.

Frisk is up and shaking, too.

Her muscles are tight, and she seems scared.

Her voice is trembling.

"... Why?"

"It's dangerous."

"There is nothing dangerous."

"Kris. Put the knife down."

"It’s only dangerous if the blade touches something it can cut."

Sans looks at the teenager.

He seems amused by Frisk’s condition.

He puts his finger on the knife.

"Like paper, cardboard… flesh."

*…

"Kris. I wouldn’t repeat myself."

"You shouldn't be afraid, Frisk. Nothing has been cut yet."

"Kris!"

"It’s just a knife."

"Put. This. Down."

Kris stops playing with the blade and then lays it gently on the coffee table.

"... All right. Take it whenever you want, then."

Then he calmly goes back to his room.

Frisk finally falls.

Sans catches her.

*frisk…

"Everything is fine, everything is fine, everything is fine..."

She keeps repeating those words without stopping.

*hey…

He looks at the blade.

"I'm fine."

She raises her eyes and looks at Sans who always looks at the blade.

*...i really hate this thing.

**_*you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?_ **

"You’re not the only one."

He looks at her.

She stares at the blade with fear.

"I constantly have these visions of myself with a knife… And there are these thoughts that resonate. And so much dust..."

**_Forgettable._ **

**_You felt your sins crawling on your back._ **

She laughs dryly.

"I don’t even know where it came from. But it’s making me sick."

*...you… too?

"What do you mean?"

*you also have these horror visions, don’t you? i’m not the only one who remembers...

He’s shaking.

*i have so much blood on my hands, your blood. and the feeling is gratifying, and then it gets bigger. like killing you is okay, like it's good.

**_*that’s the expression of someone who died eleven times in a row._ **

His two white eye lights are gone.

*you shouldn’t be with me… i… i have…

"I’m the one who kills you!"

**_*so... guess that’s it, huh?_ **

*i betrayed your trust, you spared me and i killed you, I…

**_*geeettttttt dunked on!!!! if we’re really friends... you won’t come back._ **

"I killed your brother..."

**_"BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"_ **

*and i did nothing, nothing…

"Mom… Everybody..."

*i waited… without doing anything… to kill you again and again…

"And even when things were going well, I started all over again..."

*i watched you die several times and did nothing…

**_*haven’t i done a great job protecting you? i mean, look at yourself. you haven’t died a single time. hey, what’s that supposed look to mean? am i wrong...?_ **

"And I liked it!"

**_"Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next."_ **

*i know! ... me too.

He gently holds her in his arms. Both are in tears, while all feelings invade them.

"I'm … horrible."

*...frisk…

"...Why are you still here?"

*…

He sighs and then laughs dry.

He passes his hand in her hair and then takes a deep breath.

*we found each other, right? we’re the only ones who see this kind of thing, coming from another place, another time.

"Sans..."

*but we aren't them, frisk, you know… we share the same name, the same appearance, but we haven't experienced the same thing.

"..."

*i love you, you know?

"I know. Me too. But I’m so scared..."

*…

"What if it happens again? And if those voices take back control… And if we find ourselves again trying to kill each other… I don’t want..."

*i’m scared too, frisk. but we’ll figure something out.

A drop of blood from the knife falls on the surface of the coffee table.

*we will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome To Deltarune!  
> Why make a world where no problems happen to Sans, peaceful, huh?  
> So, to give more details:  
> Frisk (and perhaps Chara?) is Kris’s big sister, she finishes university and comes back, after the events of the game, with Asriel.  
> Sans and Frisk begin to date sometime later, it's also about this time that they begin to have visions of Undertale and it's different timelines.
> 
> Can we say that we love each other when we are afraid of the other and their past?


	3. Day 3: Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undertale - Genocide AU  
> It's in this empty, silent, dying hell that he reaches out to someone who, like him, has abandoned everything.  
> It's in this empty, silent, dying hell that he becomes friends with the human who was used as a puppet for psychopaths.  
> It's in this empty, silent, dying hell that he cries as the human dies in his arms giving him her farewell gift.  
> Her soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we really say “thank you” when the gift seems poisoned?

*please, if you’re listening... let’s forget all of this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier.

Sans remains silent when he looks at the human in front of him.

**Sans is sparing you.**

He opens his arms, hesitating, a few drops slide along his skull.

However, he's always ready if the human gives him a surprise attack.

The human doesn't move for several seconds.

She takes a bite of food to get her HP back.

Then her red eyes disappear.

An empty expression, closed eyes.

Her sweater turns purple and blue.

She drops the knife.

He sighs, half reassured.

He doesn’t know if he still has the energy to withstand these attacks.

He’d like to end this as soon as possible.

If she spares him…

Well, he’ll see after that, huh?

Her face seems more relaxed, she seems more serene.

Then she has two choices.

**FIGHT**

**MERCY**

She presses **MERCY** , without hesitation, without even looking for a second, the other option: **FIGHT**.

*... you’re sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you’ve worked up to. i want you to know... i won’t let it go to waste. ... c'mere, pal.

A smile draws on her lips.

He’s still shaking, but his arms are more open, more welcoming.

Her weapon is still on the ground.

He forces himself not to back down when she starts to get closer.

She kneels and slips between his arms.

He runs his hand through her brown hair, holding her firmly.

A tear slips on one of the cheekbones.

He doesn’t even know why he feels that way.

But he has to play his role, he won’t let her go so easily.

He closes his eyes.

Then a bone pierces her.

She yaps as the blood start to cover her clothes.

Sans doesn’t stop shaking.

*get dunked on. if we’re really friends... you won’t come back.

Breathing is getting more and more difficult.

She feels herself dying, like the previous times.

But a smile is on her lips.

"You speak...as if...I had a choice… in… this… story."

He opens his eyes and looks at her silently.

She dies slowly in his arms.

He doesn't let her go.

_______________

*friendship... it’s really great, right? let’s quit fighting.

He opens his arms, trembling. His instincts are always alerted by any gesture of the human in front of him.

Her appearance has changed, she’s wearing a purple and blue sweater. Her eyes are closed and a neutral expression replaced the sadistic smile that was on her lips a few moments ago.

**FIGHT**

**MERCY**

She silently fixes the **MERCY** button, her weapon falls to the ground.

Sans remains tense to her silence.

He has to be ready, no matter what choice she makes.

He sees it on her expression that she already had to make this choice on the previous timeline.

She raises her head.

She presses **MERCY** and starts walking towards him.

Her weapon is lying on the ground not too far from them.

But still far from human reach.

He doesn’t know what she’s hoping for by doing this, but he doesn’t care if it’s the third time or the 100th time she’s done this.

He will continue to play the role he was given.

This time, he doesn't slide his arms around her.

He kills her again.

*get dunked on.

He leaves her lying in a puddle of her own blood.

She hardly raises her head.

"...See you later."

_______________

*friendship... it’s really great, right? let’s quit fighting.

Like the last two times, she doesn’t look at the **FIGHT** button once.

This time it’s a Gaster Blaster burning her.

She still gets to say a few words before she dies.

"... See you soon."

_______________

*friendship... it’s really great, right? let’s quit fighting.

**MERCY**

"Hey… I’m scared."

_______________

*hey kid. let’s quit fighting.

**MERCY**

"...Are you afraid?"

_______________

*why are you so stubborn? just give up.

**MERCY**

"..."

_______________

*why do you keep coming back?

**MERCY**

"… I...don’t really choose."

_______________

*kiddo… just stop.

**MERCY**

"... I’d like to."

_______________

*why… stop this goddamn genocide, kid.

**MERCY**

"I’d love to but...it’s sad...you don’t remember…at all."

_______________

*...

**MERCY**

"... Hey… I’m sorry."

_______________

*...kid.

She raises her eyes.

Her eyes have changed.

11.

11 times she changes her appearance and never ceases to spare him.

*why do you come back? why don’t you reset?

**FIGHT**

**MERCY**

She looks at him and sighs.

Her gaze detaches from his figure and she looks at the huge stained glass windows.

"... Because… it’s not an option… I can’t… choose."

*what do you mean?

He sighs and **CHECK** during a turn.

Her name … has changed.

**Frisk.**

**LV 1.**

*you aren't...

"...No, I'm not."

*frisk… who are...you?

Slowly, she approaches her hand from the **MERCY** button.

Then she takes a few steps.

"I'm a person who has never controlled anything in her life."

*...why are you here?

"... Because they want to prove their point of view. They want to show that there is no interest in **MERCY** . That you will continue to kill me all the time. That at some point, I should **FIGHT** , like they chose to."

*…

The light from his two eye sockets has disappeared.

"... Maybe I’m too disinterested. Or too determined to care… but… I wouldn’t make the same choice as them."

*...why?

"... Because when violence can be avoided, it's not an option."

She sighs, tired of the situation.

"You kill me… whenever you want."

*…

*...i can't… kill someone... who did nothing.

"Oh… I’m responsible somewhere for some things about this timeline. I don’t really know… What choice did I really make in my life? Was it me or someone else?"

*…

She breathes.

"But you have to do it, Sans. The timeline can’t reset."

*...you don’t control resets... what’s the point…

"Maybe one day I’ll succeed. Maybe when I die, it’ll finally be a choice I can make."

*…

"But for that… you have to kill me. I can’t RESET during this."

*...frisk…

"...You want to see your brother again, don’t you?"

*…

He stays quiet.

"Then you know what you have to do, don’t you?"

*...you are innocent, i can't…

"..."

He sighs and looks at the windows.

"... It doesn’t matter. If you spare me, they will take back control. They will take back control and I will stay there, as from the beginning."

*…

"You have to kill me. We can’t get out of this encounter. You too have to make a choice."

**FIGHT**

**MERCY**

Two options, and only one choice he has to make.

He silently fixes the two buttons that are given to him.

"... I have to try, Sans. That’s the only motivation I have right now. I don’t know if I could do it but..."

*...hey.

She raises her head and looks at him, grieved by the situation, which forces him to kill the innocent person who has a body possessed.

*...i know it sounds insincere, but…

He makes himself smiles, he has to.

*...can you promise me something?

She doesn't answer him immediately, surprised by his request.

He doesn’t remember, but she remembers all the timelines.

She remembers once, in a timeline, where during a meal in a restaurant, he threatened her.

Once, when he told her a simplistic story, the story of meeting the old lady behind the door, Toriel. The story of a promise.

Sans hates promises in general, he hates making them, breaking them, asking for them, or even talking about them.

Yet here he's, asking her to promise him something.

He, who has so little trust in others, he, who has lost so much.

There he is, asking her for something, trying to give her a modicum of trust.

... Why? Why now?

... Does she have to ask this question…?

"... Sans..."

*i just want… i know i’ll forget…but…

He exhales.

*just… i don’t want, in the other timelines… be unaware of who you are, of your presence. that even in this demon… some form of innocence persists.

*promise me that you will tell me who you are in the next timelines.

"All right."

Sans hesitates for a moment when he approaches her.

He grinds his teeth, but he’s not backing down.

*please forgive me.

"I don’t blame you."

He kills her quickly, wanting to cause as little pain as possible.

**FIGHT**

_______________

*...you…

Frisk quickly presses **MERCY** and drops the blade.

Sans haves the impression that he's expecting something from the human who has changed her appearance.

"... Hey Sans. I think… we haven’t met this time."

*…

She smiles at him.

"I haven't succeeded in RESET… but… I will still keep my promise."

She takes a step.

"I'm Frisk."

*...frisk?

**CHECK**

**Frisk.**

**LV 1.**

*...who… are you?

"... A girl… who doesn’t control much in her life. A girl who doesn't have a particular desire to live that has only one goal, RESET this world and try to make you happy since I'm unable to be."

She sighs, tired.

"... Maybe my goal is ridiculous and stupid but… that’s all I have."

*...why can’t you reset?

"Because I’m not the one who controls it. I don’t even control myself..."

She turns her head and looks at the golden light you can see.

*so…who?

"... Sometimes… Chara. Often it’s other people… Other voices..."

*…

"I can’t really explain it."

*...this isn’t the first time this has happened, is it?

"... This is not the first time I have indeed spared you. And this is the second time we talk after I choose **MERCY**."

*…

"Because you asked me to remind you who I am in every timeline"

*...why did i kill you in the old timeline then, if you only have lv 1 and you’re not… responsible for what happened?

"Because I want RESET, and we can’t RESET during a fight."

*…

"And if you spare me, they will come back to kill you, so… for now… we’re stuck in this… interface."

*…

"I sincerely hope that one day it will be me who can make my decisions… but for now… I’m just the puppet… of… someone."

*…

They’re not moving.

*...are we really stuck in an impasse where the only choices are death or fight?

"... I… know no other alternative."

Sans breathes out.

*...you want me to kill you again?

"... I… I don’t know."

Sans closes his eyes and ignoring his own choice that he will have to make at some point.

**FIGHT**

**MERCY**

He sits down and leans against a column while continuing to stare at Frisk as he turns his head.

**ITEM**

A piece of pie appears in her hands.

"You want a piece?"

She slowly gets closer and hands him a piece.

*…

He sighs but gently takes the piece of pie.

He knows who it came from and where it came from.

It reminds him of which timeline he’s in.

But yet he doesn't move, while Frisk slowly eats her own piece.

They sit next to each other, along a column, saying nothing and not looking at each other.

For several minutes, Sans rested, recovering his magic.

Frisk is always there, doing nothing special. She draws random patterns on the tile without paying much attention.

They wait silently and patiently for someone or something to come and break that moment of calm.

Chara comes back and fights again.

Or any other situation.

He doesn’t want to make the choice he’s being forced to make.

So he does what he does best.

Nothing.

And analyze the situation.

*...what exactly would it change? no matter how many times i kill you, has there been a single improvement over the reset? or…

She shakes her head.

*then why should i have to kill you?

"Do you see yourself living like this forever?"

*...what?

"... Your brother… most monsters..."

He gets tense.

"And even then, there… We’re stuck in an encounter and if you spare me..."

*the demon will return.

She nods her head slowly.

"All we can do is this. Wait."

He’s smiling, amused.

*what? do you mind?

"... Not really… I… don’t really know."

He blinks, surprised and sighs.

*...you’re not very… determined for someone whose soul is determination.

She sighs, folds her legs towards her and then drops her head on her knees. She turns her head towards him, her hair drops slightly. She slips her arms around her legs.

"... I'm not saying I’m determined… I’m quite surprised that it’s that, my soul trait… I would have said more… patience… or something like that..."

*…

"... I'm so disinterested that… I think it's quite worrying."

Sans stares at her and says nothing.

*yet you are sufficient… determined to reach the reset.

"... Not really."

*what?

"... I… It’s complicated. I think it’s really stupid. No matter if I reset, they’ll want to know the rest, they’ll rekill everyone and we’ll be here again. I won’t control anything. And even if I were really the one who would control, what would happen? I certainly wouldn’t do much. I mean, what’s the point?"

Sans stays silent before chuckling.

"...What is it?"

*nothing… it’s just… i think i kinda hear myself.

He smiles sadly.

*"why keep trying? just give up. i did. it’s useless. you can’t understand how this feels. knowing that one day, without any warning... it’s all going to be reset."

She remains silent on his words.

*...i have so many thoughts like this that cross my mind. too often. but i continue to live because… even though i didn’t see the point…people cared about me.

"And now there’s no one."

He gets tense, she sighs.

"Sorry. I hit a nerve."

*that’s… okay.

They remain silent for a while.

"... Technically, you still have people who rely on you, who like you, who trust you. Alphys, Grillby and other monsters that are still alive, aren’t they? That’s why you were there, to protect them."

*… yeah.

"But for me… there is no one. Nobody knows my name, everyone forgets… I'm only serving people who don’t know my existence."

*...if it helps… i know you now.

"But you will forget. As before. As later."

She exhales.

Then again, for several minutes, they remain silent.

*hey, frisk…

"Hm?"

*who are these people controlling you?

She doesn’t say anything at first and she keeps staring at the windows.

"Hey Sans… Did you ever wonder… if it was really you… who was controlling your life?"

*...well… it’s a bit complicated when you know the reset but… i guess there was a time in my life when i was in charge.

"... I see."

*frisk?

"... You know… I never really… controlled anything… And I was often alone so… the presence of others didn’t necessarily help."

*…

"It’s like every morning you have a voice that lists everything you have to do during the day and you do it mechanically, without desire, without passion, without anything."

*…

"One day… these kinds of voices told me to go up the mountain and fall. Some might put a reason behind it. " You’re depressed or crazy or whatever.” But for me? I can’t even put a reason on it. Sensible people would stop when they realized what would happen. But I— it’s not like I’m hypnotized or what… It’s just… like… there’s nothing else… to do…"

She’s shaking.

"And it went on. You will be friends with such and such monster and you will kill such and such creature. You will walk like that, you will do that, you must keep moving. Your name is no longer Frisk, your name is now this or that."

*…

"And… here we are. I'm surely responsible somewhere in this genocide, I could have fought against these voices. But… I… don’t know... It’s like...my life isn’t really… mine, you know? I can only obey… I… have nothing else."

*…

"I’m sorry. But it’s kind of like… I forgot to live… by myself? I got so out of my life that… I can’t really take it back."

*frisk… kiddo…

He gets closer to her.

*gosh, i think… i’ve never reached that stage. i’ve gone through a lot of steps but…

He sighs.

*you’re breathing, you’re choosing to talk to me right now, aren’t you? these people, these voices, they would like you to continue the fight against me, but yet you continue to spare me, you are still there.

"I don’t know… is it me or is it a voice telling me that I have to… be good this time, that I have to stop?"

*if that were the case, the reset would have happened, right? but it’s not the case. that voice is you, frisk. the human who wants our good, and who fights against these voices, against herself to get out of this endless dark tunnel.

He jumps when he hears a sob at his side.

Frisk is crying.

"I… I don’t know..."

*hey… it’s okay.

He takes her close to him.

She sobbed silently in his arms. He passes one of his hands through her hair and caresses her head quietly as she tries to reduce the noise of her crying.

_______________

"Hey, Sans."

He looks at her.

*hm?

"Can I ask you a question about something pretty taboo?"

*…

He doesn’t answer right away. He’s looking again at the two buttons that are still waiting for his choice.

**MERCY**

**FIGHT**

*tell me.

"Any monster can absorb a human soul, right?"

Surprised by her question, he looks at her.

*well, yes, it seems to me. why…

He sees her eyes and he immediately understands what she means.

*n o p e.

"Sans, it’s the best alternative! You..."

*frisk. no.

"Is it really so frowned upon to absorb a human soul? But is it not the purpose of King Asgore? To absorb 7 to break the barrier?"

*the problem isn't the look that the other person can give you but myself.

He gets up.

*i won’t take your soul, frisk. it’s just… against my beliefs.

"All right. Let’s say it’s the bond we formed that stops you. What stopped you before? Your brother is dead, the old lady behind the door is dead too, even practically all monsters have been eradicated! What stopped you from killing me before?"

*no matter how i feel about these actions, i prefer to think that everyone can realize their actions and take responsibility. if i had to intervene, it’s well… when… it’s too late to make up for it.

"But why now? And if I had opened my eyes later, in front of Asgore?"

*...i have a certain limit, like everyone else, frisk.

"But why now? Why not sooner? Or later?"

*frisk…

"I’m just trying to understand. What stops you from taking my soul apart from the glare of the other and the taboo reasons? I died several times against Undyne, yet she left me with my soul. And you need another soul to destroy the barrier. A murderer enters your lives killing for no reason, and thanks to my determination, I can come back without interruption. You let a murderer walk around without taking her soul, which you need to destroy the barrier, and continue to massacre yours… Why…?"

She sighs.

"I’m sorry… I may be overreacting but… I want to understand. My soul is the source of my determination, without it, RESET, LOAD and SAVE are impossible. You are aware of this, Alphys also surely, why… Didn’t you try to stop this carnage earlier?"

Then she looks at him, he seems surprised by himself and even embarrassed.

"... You… hadn’t thought of that?"

He sighs, the light in his eyes returns even blander than before.

*...you must understand, frisk, that we are monsters. popular belief says that our souls are made of love and compassion. nothing has been proven, and i honestly think it’s not true, but—

He stares at her.

*there is no denying that the monster has more facility with love, empathy, and compassion, or that kind of feeling. i can’t anymore… completely calling me a monster.

"Sans..."

*well, all that to say, positive feelings, positive thoughts are more natural for monsters. so… manipulate, betray, harm, hurt… it’s not… natural, it doesn’t immediately come to mind. i can’t completely call myself a monster but… i can’t deny myself either…

"You automatically thought I was gonna make it up to you instead of taking my soul and stopping it."

*...yeah.

He seems to be ashamed.

"... I find it beautiful. Not having the reflex to be suspicious that the person in front of you can betray you, can hurt you… And that even when it does, continue to believe in them and their redemption… Not having the reflex to have perverse thoughts, to manipulate, to hurt..."

*i killed you.

"But you kept believing, didn’t you? You said it. You hoped I would RESET, that I wouldn’t come back into this cursed timeline. You continued to believe in me, and that I would eventually open my eyes to my actions and regret those choices. That I RESET."

*…

"Right?"

*...yeah.

"... It’s really beautiful."

*...look where we are because of this.

She shakes her head.

"Don’t say that. Papyrus, Undyne… if I would have reached out enough to them, they would not have doubted a second of my word. Papyrus thought that… understanding, helping others and proposing to erase loneliness would stop me. Undyne kept fighting, but if I had done what I did before, she would have stopped, just like before.

She sighs.

"And even if you kept threatening me, you hoped deep down, that I RESET and that by the next timeline, I would do better."

*…

He hated that feeling.

*frisk…

"It’s a nice feeling. Trust. Don’t regret your decisions, Sans. If we continue down this path… we’ll never end. I could’ve manipulated you, and I could’ve just been telling lies right now, but you still chose to trust me, console me, help me. Not because you're a monster, but because you are you. You could have feigned confidence and brutally killed me in the back. But you didn’t. I trusted you, just like you trusted me."

She opens her hands and her red soul appears.

"Then I want to trust you with this, Sans."

*frisk, no, i don’t...

"Do you see another possibility?"

*…

He watches **FIGHT** and **MERCY** in the distance.

"We already know what will happen if you make one of these choices. But there is this alternative."

*…

He sighs, not wanting to believe her words but knowing the truth.

"If you take my soul… You will have my Determination, Chara… the others… won’t be able to RESET, SAVE or LOAD. Even Flowey won’t be able to do it. You will be the one who has the power, and you know the consequences, you will know how to pay attention to the use of such power. You can see your brother again, bring everyone back, and restrict control of Determination to others."

*frisk…

"But... will absorbing my soul turn you into Amalgamate since you will have Determination…? It’s still a risk, but the benefits behind it are…"

*frisk. it’s your soul.

"And I give it to you, Sans."

*you can’t just give the cumulation of your whole being like that, frisk! you… give your life and your very existence… you can’t…

"... My life has never been completely mine, Sans. I always had this feeling that I never lived for myself, that there were constantly voices, a presence behind me to guide every single movement."

*frisk…

"Even if you make me open my eyes right now. The RESET… will probably never be within my grasp, and even if it is, they will do it again. Everything will be erased..."

*…

"And then, you know… I’ve heard that when you absorb someone’s soul, it still lives inside the person who absorbed it, kind of like a second consciousness, a spirit. So, technically, I would still live, right?"

Tears run down her cheeks.

The bones of Sans keep making noise while it rattles under the emotion.

"I’ve always been forgotten, so what difference does it make living as a ghost or as a puppet?"

*...frisk… no…

"Please, Sans… allow me to finally decide for myself… I’ve always been dictated… I'm going to achieve the goal I have set for myself and in extension… I'm finally succeeding… to free myself… to free you."

*...frisk is too much… you can’t…

His tears are starting to flow.

"... Take my soul, Sans. Please… At least give me this chance..."

He slips his trembling arms around Frisk’s fragile shape.

*...frisk.

"Take it, Sans."

He feels her soul practically begging him to absorb it.

And despite him, he leads his hand towards her soul, and he doesn't even have to tear it off or make any movement, one of his fingers only touches the red heart full of determination, and immediately her soul is absorbed.

The tears don’t stop.

"Thank you."

There is nothing violent like in the stories that Undyne tells with enthusiasm when she manages to take the soul of a human.

It's almost peaceful and serene as if it were to happen. As if her soul were destined to join his own.

"Don’t cry… You’ll find everyone."

But she’s crying too.

"And then it’s not like I’m really leaving, right? I’ll be here. Inside you."

*...frisk…

She’s smiling.

"You have given me freedom in this short time, and I thank you. Here is my gift."

And finally, her inert body falls to the ground.

He’s killed her many times, even though he doesn’t remember.

However, this death was the most painful he had to face.

He doesn't notice, in his emotional state, that his appearance has changed and that a ghost of a pale red begins to form at his side, trying to squeeze him and comfort him.

He only feels his soul crying inwardly for having lost someone who could understand him, who wanted to help him in this hell.

A button finally appears.

And it's not his hand that clicks on it, no, he continues to try to wipe away the tears that keep pouring down on his cheekbones.

No, it’s that ghostly hand that’s pressing it.

**RESET**


	4. Day 4: Seasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undertale True Pacifist  
> Momijigari – The Red Leaf Hunt  
> Although in this context, we can say that the red leaf looks more like a soul filled with determination and that he's the hunter of this leaf that never wants to fall into his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can we talk about seasons that pass when we only hunt time?

*momiji?

"Hm, hm."

Frisk nods then she leaflets the flyer she holds in her hands.

"It's a time in early autumn when the leaves of trees, especially maples, take on their red hue. It's the equivalent of the spring "hanami"."

*huh uh.

"Look!"

She shows him an image of the flyer.

He silently stares at the picture.

"It’s beautiful, huh? Undyne and Alphys have chosen such a beautiful season for their wedding."

*...yeah.

He detaches his gaze from the image and looks at the sky through the window of the plane.

*...i still maintain my point that doing 10 hours of flying…

"12."

*12 hours of flying is not very cost-effective and very environmentally friendly.

"It’s Alphys and Undyne’s wedding."

*i know.

"It’s a big event, and tickets aren’t that expensive at this time! Would you prefer to..."

*no, but i think it would be a better idea to extend the stay, you said yourself, it’s a beautiful time of year. why not enjoy it more?

He looks at her with hope and gently takes one of her hands, touching a light ring that adorns one of her fingers.

"Well, it depends on the embassy meetings and..."

_ "Please, passengers, return to your seat _ _ ,  _ _ we will soon arrive." _

"Oh. You should wake up Papyrus, we’re almost there."

Sans turns to look at his brother who fell asleep and let go her hand.

He smiles and wakes him up slowly.

*hey paps. it’s not like i want to both-air-ing ya... but...

"SANS, DON’T START."

"Sans. I can’t believe you. We have a discussion! I don’t like your altitude!"

But she smiles.

Sans smiles back when he hears her pun.

*awww… come on! we both know that you fall for me at first flight."

"OH, MY GOD. SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!"

_______________

*momiji…

He looks silently at the spectacle unfolding in front of his eye sockets.

The trees are covered with these orange, golden and red leaves giving the park an almost magical look.

"I told you it was beautiful."

Some people are picnicking under the trees.

"There won’t be many people, so I think we’ll blend in."

*have you forgotten undyne? and papyrus?

"Okay, fine, I didn’t say anything."

Some humans stop sometimes to look at them curiously but they don't disturb them.

"I had to expect it. Of course, Undyne and Alphys were going to settle in Japan, after the agreement signed by the government and the embassy."

*hm.

"It looks like we’re early, though. We can go to the hotel."

*yeah.

But he’s not following her.

"... Sans."

*...ya know…

He’s smiling, amused.

*it’s kinda cool here. we could take a walk around, in the meantime.

She shrugs her shoulders and starts to walk away.

"As you wish."

Sans's phone vibrates, he carefully pulls it out of his pocket and reads the message his brother sent him.

DON’T READ THIS MESSAGE, SANS! BE  ** MARRY ** , SANS AND TELL HER!!

Sans doesn't know if he should laugh at his brother’s pun which is surely involuntary or worry about the ring on the finger of Frisk.

*damnit papyrus…

"Sans?"

He puts away his phone and unconsciously, look at her ring.

*i’m on my way.

_______________

Frisk takes several photos of magnificent landscapes.

"A beautiful season… and beautiful scenery!"

*yeah… a great day for a lovely wedding, right?

She nods.

*hey frisk, can i ask ya somethin’?

"Sure? What is it?"

He doens't look at her.

*...have you ever thought about… your own wedding?

"... Sans… Do you..."

He immediately becomes completely blue as he agitates.

*no! i mean, sure but… um...

He sighs and looks at one of her hands which is always adorned with a ring.

"Hey. It’s okay, Sans. I don’t want to pressure you."

She laughs slowly.

"Well, to be honest, I didn’t think much about it… I think I’d like something… melancholy? Nostalgic?"

She shakes her head.

"Nah, not really something sad, more… like… remembering past moments… you know. An atmosphere a little… contemplative. Watch failures, successes and carry on hand-in-hand for a lifetime"

She sighs and then she smiles at him, her eyes shine.

It seems that an idea, probably absurd, has just crossed her mind.

"Hey Sans! Don’t just stand there! Come on!"

He walks by dragging his feet towards her, his lazy smile coming back on his skull.

*what do ya…

She kisses him.

And without letting himself be distanced, he responds to her kiss. He slips one of his hands into her hair, closes his eyes sockets and brings her closer to him.

His eyes open suddenly when he hears a slight noise.

Frisk walks away and looks at her phone to look at the picture.

Then she shows him, he blushes at the intimacy of the scene.

*frisk…

"It’s such a beautiful photo! I should have it printed."

He sighs and pushes the phone, embarrassed.

*do what ya want.

He takes out his phone and sighs when he sees the time.

*come on, we gotta go. we don’t want to be late, am i right?

"Are you the one who said that?"

_______________

"SO?"

Sans sighs when he sees his brother’s hopeful gaze.

*nah.

"SANS..."

*i know paps, but… wouldn’t it be better if she…

"YOU ALREADY HAD THE STUPID IDEA OF PUTTING HER..."

*i know… but i just panicked last time...and...

He sighs again, disappointed.

*and she didn’t even notice.

"OF COURSE SHE DIDN'T NOTICE! SHE DOESN’T KNOW!"

"What are you talking about?"

*nothing!

"SANS..."

She stares at them suspiciously and then sighs.

"Never mind. The two brides will be here soon, so go sit down."

She’s headed to the chairs, clearly excited.

"I SWEAR TO YOU THE NEXT WEDDING THAT I MUST ATTEND, SANS, HAS TO BE YOURS."

*less loud, papyrus!

They sit on the different benches installed for the event.

They are in a small committee, Alphys not being very comfortable with a large crowd.

Undyne is already here, shaking but has a huge smile on her face.

"DID YOU KNOW SHE PROPOSED TO HER AT WATERFALL?"

*oh?

"YOU COULD HAVE TRIED TO..."

*papyrus!

Alphys starts to approach, all red.

Only Undyne is waiting for her at the end of the alley with a marvelous expression.

Sans sighs and contemplates the scene.

Both hold hands, and silence sets in.

We can only hear the sounds of passers and birds.

He’s smiling.

The two white souls of the two monsters are summoned, they rise into the sky and then unite into one.

Meanwhile, Undyne slowly passes a ring on Alphys' finger which does the same.

There are no words, no oath.

Why? Souls speak for them.

And finally, the two souls separate and return to their respective bodies.

Sans breathes then smiles.

Undyne looks at everyone who looks at them and gives them a big smile.

"Ngaaahhh!!! Alphys is my waifu now!"

And finally, the shouts, the applause, and the crowd accumulate towards them. Clearly happy for them.

Frisk comes out of the pack and joins Sans and Papyrus who looks from afar at the scene, with a proud smile.

"...I thought it was gonna take longer, the ceremony is so short and... silent?

*you’ve never really attended a monster wedding but that’s normal.

*when two monsters want to unite, they exchange a part of their respective souls. it’s more than just a paper that you sign to an administration. it’s a moral, psychic and magical bond.

"... But it will have no impact on their life together in the eyes of the law."

He shakes his head.

*japan hasn't yet allowed monster marriage. but it’s only a matter of time.

She’s frowning.

"... I will have to review the discussions with the government."

*heh. well, they put the rings in, so that counts a little, right?

"The rings are only sentimental evidence. They have absolutely no value to the government and the law."

*oh.

She sighs.

"They made a marriage by mixing two different cultures… I am curious about what they have planned..."

*...we will see.

_______________

"Hey Sans."

*hm?

He takes a sip of ketchup and looks at her, making her understand that he pays attention to what she says.

"Since monsters unite with their souls… how do they propose, then?"

*oh.

Papyrus glares at him.

*well, usually, a monster offers their partner a precious object with some of their magic. these are items that are exclusively for the family, so when you give one, well… you’re suggesting that you want your partner to be a part of your family.

"Oh."

He looks away when he sees the ring on her finger turning blue.

"This is so romantic."

*well, you, humans, prefer to stay with the rings. but this object is not necessarily a jewel, it can be a garment or anything physical.

"Oh..."

*for example, the papyrus scarf has a bit of my magic.

"Oh yeah?"

*i told you, these are family-only items, it’s not necessarily romantic. it’s just… a proof of love, all love confounded.

"That’s interesting. I wonder if..."

"Hey! Punks! Come a little closer and grab this!"

She smiles and throws a bouquet into the crowd.

Landed right in Frisk’s hands.

Sans doesn't lose Undyne and Alphys who hit their respective fists, and their smirking smiles that grow larger when they see who has caught it.

Sans don't know if it’s a frame-up or a Universe stunt, but there’s a high probability that Papyrus also has his share of responsibility in it.

"Ah! Guess what, Sans? You’re next!"

Frisk gets all red.

"W-Wait, this… this is not… We are not..."

"Yes, you are!"

"But..."

"OH MY GOD… LOOK AT YOUR FRICKING FINGER, DAMN IT!"

** *PAPYRUS! **

This time it’s Sans that gets all blue.

"What about my finger?"

She raises her hand and blushes, even more, when she sees a ring that changes shades of blue sometimes.

"... S-Sans?"

*…

"When did you..."

*2 months ago, i was… uh… i planned to ask you but you were pretty tired and… i panicked.

"...For two months?"

*…

"I had been engaged for two months and I didn’t know?"

*i know, it wasn't what i really planned, i was looking more for something **fiancee**.

"Sans! I can’t believe it."

She takes the ring and slowly takes it off.

The soul of Sans breaks at her act.

*you…

"You’re making me a proposition worthy of the name right now!"

She gives him the ring.

*...huh… ‘k.

He walks away and approaches a tree.

He looks at the golden foliage and then at Frisk again.

*knock knock.

He knocks lightly the trunk of the tree.

"OH MY GOD! SANS!"

"Who's there?"

"DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM, FRISK!"

*mary.

Toriel laughs in the distance watching the scene.

But most monsters are either surprised or amused by the scene. Although most roll their eyes to the already anticipated joke.

"Mary who?"

The ring appears on her finger.

This time, she feels the presence and weight of the object on her finger.

*marry me?

She smiles and approaches him.

"Knock knock."

She knocks lightly the trunk of the same tree.

*who’s there?

"Dishes."

*dishes who?

"Dishes your fiancee, kiss her already."

*you didn’t have to ask.

And as they kiss, the red leaves of the maples begin to fall, making this moment a magical spectacle.

_ Momijigari – The Red Leaf Hunt _


	5. Day 5: Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bidder AU  
> You may say he's pragmatic or pessimist, but Sans has never been a fan of hopelessness.  
> He’s always had a bad feeling about humanity.  
> And unfortunately, he’s often right.  
> "Ready, darling?"  
> And don’t say it’s hypocritical because his soulmate is human.  
> Frisk was never human, she was never marrow-corrupted like those damn creatures that are completely capable of buying a person of their own race.  
> *yup. someone’s waiting.  
> Frisk is one of his own and he will not let these true “monsters” take one of his own.  
> The beginning of the liberation has begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the comic by Nai-sf:  
> https://nai-sf.tumblr.com/post/188907061656/i-want-to-describe-the-world-when-monsters-and
> 
> Can we talk about soul mates despite the distance?

Sans knows he’s always been a pessimist.

When life keeps ruining him, he can only distance himself when it comes to hope.

Yet the monsters have always been filled with hopes and dreams.

The hope of returning to the surface, of building a future, of living in harmony with humans.

Sans always doubted much about it.

It’s the same race that imprisoned them underground, who says they won’t do it again?

But they did worse than that.

It started the day they saw the sky for the first time in centuries.

Some of the monsters, the ones closest to humans, had disappeared.

They had not fallen to dust. They had just disappeared.

Then several days passed, and more and more monsters began to disappear.

Until eventually, they discovered monster sales.

Mettaton was the one who discovered the horrible truth behind these kidnappings.

Mettaton, the only monster that was welcomed by humans.

They called him an AI, and Mettaton quickly made a name in human society.

To finally be invited to one of these auctions.

Soon after, Alphys and Mettaton warned the other monsters and looked for a way to rescue the other monsters.

Sans, at first, wasn't involved in their affairs.

On the contrary, when he heard the news, the first thing he did was put the most important people in safety.

Papyrus, in particular, had little understanding of the situation.

_ "WE CAN SHOW THEM THAT WE ARE THEIR EQUALS, SANS!" _

_ *papyrus, they don’t want… _

_ "BUT IF EVERYONE STAYS HOSTILE TO EACH OTHER, IT WILL NEVER CHANGE THE TREND!" _

_ *i know, papyrus. but no matter what we say, they won’t listen to us. _

_ "SOME WILL DO." _

_ *papyrus… _

_ "WE MUST TRY, SANS!" _

_ *we will try when everyone is safe and back home, papyrus! some monsters have been sold and i don’t want… _

_ "IF THEY LISTEN TO US, THE OTHER MONSTERS WILL COME BACK, SANS!" _

_ *all that’s gonna happen is they’re gonna take you too, papyrus! regardless of your intentions, they won’t care, they’ll only take advantage of you, and you… and you… _

_ "SANS..." _

_ *i don’t want to lose you too, papyrus… i also  _ _ want _ _ to live in peace with them. but they just refused our peace agreements, our negotiations, our requests...they just thought of us as toys to sell us on a vulgar display. _

_ "BUT WHEN SANS? IF NOT NOW… WHEN?" _

_ *i don’t know, paps. all i know is i don’t want you to end up in their hands. will you let me protect you… brother? _

The next day, the second person he wanted to protect was taken.

_ Sans growls when he hears the phone ring, he opens his eye sockets and looks at the phone that is ringing on his nightstand. Annoyed, he picks it up. _

_ "Sans?" _

_ *hm? _

_ Toriel. _

_ It’s rare for her to call him, especially so early. _

_ "I’m sorry to call you so early but… I’m worried… did you see Frisk yesterday?" _

_ *frisk? wasn’t she supposed to be at a debate to try to get us some rights? _

_ "I know! But since yesterday, I have no news. And Frisk usually calls me every day… I called Asgore, Undyne, and Alphys, and they haven’t heard anything from her either." _

_ *...where was the debate? _

_ "North, I think? It was urgent so she had to go there quite quickly." _

_ *north… _

_ He doesn't say a thing for a few seconds. _

_ *...i h _ _ a _ _ ve to go. _

_ "Sans?" _

_ * _ _ i _ _ ’m taking care of frisk's case, tori, okay? _

_ He hangs up and grumbles, clearly annoyed by the situation that is only getting worse. _

_ *damn humans, so you start selling people of your own kind, now? you freaks. _

_ He scrolls through his contact list until he gets to the one he’s looking for. _

_ *an urgent meeting in the north, frisk warned at the last minute… _

_ He groans. _

_ *you and papyrus will kill me one day with your reckless and thoughtless actions. _

_ *damnit. _

_ "Sans? Why are you calling so early?" _

_ Alphys' voice comes out of the phone. _

_ *hey alphys. consider me a part of your plan now. _

_ "What? But I thought you wanted..." _

_ *papyrus can  _ _ protect himself _ _. _

_ "... Then.. why?" _

_ *because they got frisk and i wouldn’t let them flee without consequences. _

_______________

"It’s so dirty, so cold..."

A Woshua trembles in the dark, wet prison in which they lie. They hear the laughter and murmurs of humans in the distance.

They're not alone, a Loox and a Vegetoid are with them as they silently look at the prison bars.

"We’re gonna get through this, we’re gonna get through this."

Another person much more different than they are is in a different prison.

Frisk is next to a Shyren shaking against the walls.

"They won’t leave us down here. I’m sure of it."

She's the only one who speaks in their despair, she's always there to support them.

"Hey! You there!"

A human enters the prison.

"Get away from the creature, you’re worth a big price and I don’t want it to go down because of your relationships with these beasts."

Frisk stands up trembling, her legs are bare and damaged by the cold. Her skin is paler than usual and her hair is messy.

But all the monsters recognize the look in her eyes. And they’re afraid for her.

** Determination. **

"Make me."

_______________

"You shouldn't, Frisk."

"You're more important than us. Let them..."

"No, I can’t watch them use you, treat you like objects and doing nothing for you. It doesn’t matter if I end up hurt."

She stares at the wounds on her arms.

"As long as I’m not dead. I’ll continue."

"Frisk..."

"You’re remarkably tough, kid."

An old monster stands against the wall and looks at her wisely.

"Gerson!"

"I have seen the war of monsters and humans, the confinement of monsters and now I see their slavery… life is very hard with us..."

But he keeps smiling.

"But it gave us you, Frisk. You shouldn’t lose your life for the creatures we are."

"The only monsters I see here are the ones who locked us in."

She stands straight and looks at him, without shaking.

Gerson shakes his head when he looks at her.

"What would the queen say if she lost you? What would your lover say if he lost you?"

Frisk put her eyes down.

"Sans isn't..."

She sighs and shakes her head.

"No, that’s not the point. I know what they would feel if I died here under these conditions but..."

She looks at all the monsters that are locked up in different cells.

"I’d rather die than live with the guilt of not even trying to help you, save you."

Gerson sighs.

"This determination will kill you one day, child."

She’s smiling.

"Someone told me that before. But I’m still standing in front of you, right?"

Her smiles grow.

"But who says you will be still there later?"

She sighs.

"Your courage is admirable, but there is a big difference between bravery and recklessness."

Gerson closes his eyes and then lowers his head.

"You don’t know how much you mean to all monsterkind, especially the most important ones. Our queen, our king, the royal guards… even the judge has a certain affection for you."

"...Would you rather I shut up and let you suffer?"

"No, of course not, but think before committing such an act, young lady. Perhaps one day, one of these blows will be fatal to you."

She nods her head gently.

"I will try."

_ My death doesn’t matter anyway, I can always… Load. _

_...You’d forgive me if I did it, wouldn’t you? _

_ Sans. _

_______________

"60! Who says better?"

"100!"

"120!"

"120? Isn’t that too much, I mean it only has one eye."

"Sold for 120!"

Sans silently watches a Loox get picked up by humans.

"An eye. I’m gonna poke their eye out, so they can see what it feels like."

*mettaton.

The robot is tense but he doesn’t say anything more.

"...How can monsters participate in this kind of profanity?"

*...the human world has surely corrupted more than one monster.

"How can they buy one of their own?"

*...i can’t really explain it… inferiority complex?

"... This is ridiculous."

*this kind of event is already ridiculous at the beginning.

Another monster appears on the scene.

"It's Shyren!"

*i can see that.

"I’m not gonna let them..."

*mettaton.

He lays his hand on the cape that covers Mettaton.

*don't attract attention.

"I will pay for her. I will not..."

*you can’t save everybody…

"It's Shyren!"

Sans stares at him silently then, slowly he looks at the scene.

*...whatever. not more than 500.

"320!"

"330!"

"All right."

Mettaton raises his hand.

"500!"

*mettaton!

"Deal!"

Sans growls.

*and what if it’s frisk that appears after?

"Who do you think I am, darling? I clearly have enough to buy such a jewel as our angel."

*don't speak of her as an object…

"Don’t start with threats, darling..."

Sans grumbles but keeps silent.

_ how many such auctions exist? _

_ what if frisk was sold somewhere else and she was already in the hands of a madman…? _

Visions come to him.

Wounded frisk, starved frisk, tortured...

"You're shaking."

Sans takes a deep breath and regains his calm.

"We will find your beloved, Sans."

*she is not…

"Riiiight. How long did you think you’d keep your Soul Bond from us?"

*...shut the hell up.

_ but he’s right, the longer we’re apart, the higher the pain. _

_ for god’s sake… _

_ just be safe, frisk. _

_______________

"I wouldn’t have to meet you so regularly if you weren’t protecting those creatures, you know."

"I wouldn’t have to be here so regularly if you had accepted the agreements we proposed!"

The nurse sighs.

Frisk stands on the bed with her head lowered, though her eyes gaze attentively at the slightest gestures of the person trying to heal her.

"You're too stubborn."

Frisk hisses when the cotton touches one of her wounds.

"You’ll end up with scars. It’ll lower the price, you know."

"Because you expect me to obey you nicely and accept to be sold?"

"You wouldn’t be in this situation if you’d gotten away from those monsters."

"I wouldn’t be in this situation if you were a little understanding and empathetic!"

The nurse is growling at Frisk’s stubborn, rebellious attitude.

"How many times are we gonna have this conversation?"

"As much as necessary."

The nurse walks away and fetches bandages before sitting down near Frisk.

"... Why do you hate them so much? They're so kind, they didn’t ask much… They have been locked up so long under the mountain already because of us… Why don’t you even try to understand them for a moment?"

"They are monsters."

"That’s a stupid reason!"

Despite the pain, Frisk stands up and looks the nurse right in the eye.

"Try. Just… for a few minutes. Try to put yourself in their shoes."

"I can’t..."

"Just… a few minutes."

The nurse sighs and closes their eyes, exhausted by Frisk’s attitude.

"It’s been centuries since you’ve seen the sky, it’s been so long that many of your people have forgotten what the sun looks like."

"..."

"And one day, you finally have access to this freedom, to the air, to the sun, to the stars..."

"..."

"To have them taken away from you again, to throw you into a cell even smaller than your past jail. You have feelings, emotions, ambitions but the people in front of you don’t care, they only see an object, they don’t see the living being behind."

"..."

"They don’t want to see it, because they’re afraid of what’s different."

The nurse looks at Frisk shaking.

"... But everyone is different… Where are your morals, your empathy when you look at them?"

"These are beasts."

"They are our equals!"

"They killed children to free themselves!"

"And how many monsters have killed you before? Far more than 6. That’s for sure."

"You’re too young to understand."

"... No, I’m smart enough to understand that behind a monster there is a living being with a culture, feelings. It's you who have such a closed mind that you can only accept your own identical reflection!"

"I’ll call the guards."

"That’s it! Run! Again! But I would still be there, and I know I’m right. And one day, you’ll realize that you’re the one who’s too "young" to understand."

_______________

Sans opens his eye sockets quickly.

He gets up and tries to calm down and regain control over himself.

But the tears begin to flow.

*...god, i hate these nightmares.

_ "Why did you leave me, Sans?" _

_ "Take care of others for me..." _

_ "Thank you... for coming..." _

He closes his eye sockets so he lets his hands fall.

*it’s only been three weeks. and these visions don’t come out of my head.

He sighs and opens his eye sockets.

He makes his soul appear.

He sees the golden thread that escapes and connects him to his soul mate.

_ "It’s a fabulous discovery, Sans!" _

_ Asgore seems ecstatic about it. _

_ *i wouldn’t call it fibula-us. _

_ Asgore ignores his pun, too excited. _

_ "But this is a great opportunity, Sans! A monster-human couple can be a perfect example to show the union between our two different races." _

_ * _ _ i _ _ will not… _

_ "I don’t want to rush you. But you can’t deny the potential behind such a relationship between you and Frisk." _

_ *yup. i can see a ton of potential… _

_ He winks at him. _

_ *a skeleton. _

_ "..." _

_ Asgore whispers. _

_ "... We can't say that Toriel will be against having you as a son-in-law." _

*a relationship that is probably fictitious after that.

He shakes his head.

*come on. don’t think like that.

He removes the blanket and stands up.

*it’s time for a little midnight snack.

_______________

"Why don’t we sell her now?"

"The results haven't yet arrived. You can't set her selling price."

"She’s the ambassador of these demons! She’s worth a fortune!"

"We still have to check the test results before we sell her."

"Tch."

Frisk doesn’t say anything while she’s looking at the floor.

_ Mom…Dad…How are you doing…? _

_ *you wouldn’t be in this situation if you had gone with someone, frisk. _

_ He’d totally say something like that to me. _

_ *...you worried everyone, you know… _

_... I’m sorry. _

_ *i’ve been bonely without ya, you know. _

_… Sans..._

_ *i love you, frisk. _

Frisk blushes and shakes his head.

_ What the hell am I thinking?! _

She sighs.

_ This is no time to think about such things! _

_... But in the animes of Alphys, after the kidnappings, there are often… _

Frisk shakes her head.

_ Animes are not references!!! _

Yet she can’t help changing a scene from an anime with her own loving interest.

_ *i want to be with you forever, frisk. let me be your eternal partner. _

"Aaahhh!"

The monsters around are watching her.

"... Frisk?"

"... This isn't at all the right situation to have such thoughts, Frisk! Don't think about it!"

"So her Soul Bond manifests, huh?"

"Indeed, this isn't the best time for this."

"Especially by being separated from her soul mate."

Frisk takes a deep breath.

"I must not be distracted. I must protect..."

_ *you’re the only one for me. _

"Shut up, Imaginary Sans!"

_______________

"T-there it is."

Mettaton is staring at his reflection.

"The … NEO is ready."

*are you sure about this, alphys?

"I-I tried to k-keep a … f-familiar appearance."

*and mettaton? how do you feel about it?

"Fabulous."

*i should have known.

Sans sighs and stares at Alphys who still makes some adjustments on Mettaton’s body.

"N-Normally, if e-everything goes as planned, w-we will have succeeded our g-goal tonight."

*this is just the beginning, alphys. some monsters have already been sold, you know.

"A-Asgore has given us his agreement… I-It’s surely an n-n-new war that we p-prepare… are you o-okay with..."

*yup.

"Alphys. Darling. We’ll get through this. You better help more the Royal Guard and your girlfriend."

Alphys blushed at the term used by Mettaton.

"A-All right. G-Good luck for both of you… E-Everything depends on you."

She slips away.

"A new war. It will be a great story to tell! Action, drama!"

*it will be mostly carnage. we will surely lose, there are only a few hundred of us against billions of humans armed.

"Do you want to back off?"

*...nah. there is always a plan b."

"Which one is?"

Sans remains silent.

*...frisk is needed for this. she’s the only one that can change the trend.

"...If you say so."

Sans takes the mask that rested on the table.

*are you ready for this?

"Always! My faithful audience awaits my arrival. You should thank me for allowing you to walk beside me."

*riiight.

_______________

"No! Let them go!"

Gerson moves slowly towards the guards.

"Take me instead! Sell me! Just… Let them…go.."

The guards remain silent when they see Frisk crying in front of the departure of several monsters for the next auction.

"We have the results, right?"

The other one nods slowly.

A guard takes one of her arms.

"Since you ask so nicely..."

His smirking smile gets bigger.

"We will grant your wish and sell you with your dear monsters."

"No! Leave them alone!"

"Take them!"

Frisk is agitated during the entire way.

_______________

Mettaton watches Sans who silently stares at the scene.

"They will be released tonight."

*if we succeed.

"Maybe Frisk won’t even be here tonight."

*it doesn’t matter, does it? we’ll find her at some point.

"You said you needed her for your plan B?"

*heh. she doesn’t need to be with me to do what’s necessary.

"You’re really tiring being always so enigmatic."

*i prefer to call myself intriguing.

Mettaton rolls his eyes.

"You’re rather relaxed for the beginning of the liberation of an entire race."

*stress doesn't often help.

** "The next item, a girl, of undetermined age." **

The soul of Sans gets excited when he sees a young girl coming on the stage.

** "It's the only human in this auction, and in the meantime it's rating is the highest of all!" **

*frisk…

"Oh. Well, it looks like we finally found her."

She looked thinner than the last time he saw her, and she looked very sick.

But it was her.

"Human? I thought this auction was monster sale only?"

"Undetermined age... It looks like a kid."

**"Okay. Ladies and Gentlemen, the bidding will start at $100."**

"102!"

"105!"

"The public sale is not the one we've known, now they sell everything as long as it can sell."

"And humans are no longer the only customers to bid."

_ yeah, i find it hard to believe that monsters have lowered themselves to the rank of humans. _

_ but i suppose there must have been "human" monsters like "monsters" like her. _

_ falling into corruption is so much easier than fighting it. _

"110!"

"125!"

*hey, mettaton. how much we got?

"Well, I got a thousand just in case, but..."

*excellent.

"Sans, you won’t..."

_ It will be fine... _

_ It’s okay... _

_ It must... _

"150!"

But Sans ignores him and listens to his soul which rebels at the idea that she will be sold for someone else.

*1,000.

"Sans!"

*i say 1,000.

** "Deal!" **

"For God’s sake, Sans..."

Sans stands up, Mettaton follows him.

Frisk gasps when she feels she’s being dragged by her chain.

"1,000? Is he crazy?"

"It isn't worth that price at all."

"You want to take action now?"

"Fool monster."

*heh. i’m not a patient guy.

Frisk looks up when she sees her buyer.

Given the shape, they're clearly a monster, but she can’t tell if she knows them with the mask covering their face.

She doesn’t care who buys her.

She’s just hoping for help.

"It's yours."

Sans feels his soul calming down when he sees her near him.

_ safe, by his side… _

_ god damn my instincts. _

He releases her chain.

She immediately and desperately embraces her owner.

"Please… You can do anything to me, but please… help me save the monsters!"

She lets the tears flow.

"Sir… You are a monster, right? Every… Every monster here is so nice, so..."

And then she stops.

She knows this soul resonance.

*shhh… pay attention…

She turns her head and sees Mettaton’s familiar face.

For several weeks, she has felt her hope reborn.

_ Sans... _

He summons one of his Gaster Blasters and brings her closer to him.

_ don’t leave me. _

A large explosion interrupts the auction.

"What?!!"

Sans and Mettaton remove the hoods that covered their faces.

_** "It’s Showtime." ** _


	6. Day 6: Fairy Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Witch apprentice AU  
> Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters.  
> One day, war broke out between the two races.  
> After a long battle, the humans were victorious.  
> Many lost families, companions in this war.  
> But instead of sealing the last surviving monsters underground, the humans continued the massacre.  
> A human among them rebelled and refused to participate in the genocide of Monsters. Her name was Determination.  
> "I can’t explain what happened.  
> Maybe I wanted to understand her behavior.  
> Maybe I didn’t want to be alone.  
> Maybe deep down, I didn’t really want to die.  
> But that day, I followed her, and as the legends tell…  
> I never came back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who are you to say your romance is a fairy tale?

**_Long ago, two races ruled over earth: Humans and Monsters._ **

**_One day, war broke out between the two races._ **

**_After a long battle, the Humans were victorious._ **

**_Many lost families, companions in this war._ **

**_But instead of sealing the last surviving monsters underground, the humans continued the massacre._ **

**_There had to be none._ **

**_Many fled, but few survived._ **

**_Many months later…_ **

_A monster is approaching the cave entrance._

_He’s watching the sun come up._

_It’ll probably be his last sunrise._

_He looks at the red scarf he’s holding in his hand._

_His trembling fragile figure sits in front of the landscape he can see._

_But he’s not paying attention._

_All he does is grieve._

**_A human, a mage, a witch refused, at the beginning of the war, to participate in the genocide of the Monsters._ **

**_She, driven away by her ancient comrades, took refuge in the cave that the Humans avoided._ **

**_The Underground._ **

**_She made it her domain._ **

**_A lot of rumors now revolve around this cave._ **

**_They say who gets close, never comes back._ **

_This frail figure is a young monster. A skeleton, not very large, not very strong and not very covered._

_His name is Sans._

_And Sans, a victim of the genocide, mourns for his brother who had sought to protect him and show the benevolence of monsters to humans._

_He failed, like so many monsters._

_*papyrus._

**_This witch, which humans call Determination, the one who could have been the most powerful of the mages, is called Frisk._ **

_He hears footsteps behind him._

_A few weeks ago, he would be trying to escape._

_But now?_

_What’s the point of that?_

_What’s keeping him to live now?_

**_She is, what humans call, a monster sympathizer._ **

**_But she doesn’t like that word._ **

**_She favors saying that she loves and prefers to preserve life rather than destroy it. No matter what form it takes._ **

**_They say she’s "pacific"._ **

**_She calls herself only "human"._ **

_He’d rather die than go on living into this hell._

_He doesn’t even look at his future murderer._

_Probably a human being._

_He closes his eye sockets and silently waits for the human’s spell or weapon to pierce him._

_But instead, he hears a sweet, melodious voice._

_"...You seem very lonely."_

_He opens his eyes and turns around surprised by the voice._

_She is indeed a human._

_She seems to cover herself in the sun with her pointed hat but he still manages to see her face._

_*…_

_Her brown eyes seem more tender when she looks at him more closely._

_"Oh… I know that look."_

_Without answering, Sans just stares._

_What does she do? Why does she talk to him? What does she want?_

_Slowly, she gets closer to him and sits not far from him._

_She looks at the sun rising in the sky._

_"What a beautiful sunrise, right? I think it’s my favorite part of the day."_

_*…_

_"... I’m Frisk. Do you have a name?"_

_*…_

_He doesn't answer her, not understanding her sympathetic behavior and full of goodness._

_What are her motives? What does she want? Is she curious? Or something like that?_

_She looks at the red scarf that he holds firmly in his hands._

_"It’s dangerous around here, you know."_

_*...i know._

_She looks at him and then sighs, saddened._

_"Do you have a place to stay?"_

_He doesn't react._

_"I can welcome you if you wish. My home is modest, but I think it’s quite comfortable."_

_He looks at her and says nothing._

_"Come on. It’s better not to be alone during these moments."_

_She’s reaching out to him._

**_I can’t really explain what happened at that time._ **

**_Maybe I wanted to understand her behavior._ **

**_Maybe I didn’t want to be alone._ **

**_Maybe deep down, I didn’t really want to die._ **

**_But that day, I followed her, and as the legends tell…_ **

**_I never came back._ **

_________________

_She quietly cuts vegetables while whistling._

_Sans sits on a chair while he silently stares._

_He’s been here a few days._

_But he feels like it’s only been a few seconds._

_Sometimes, she looks at him and then goes back to her business._

_For a few days, it’s been like that. Sans remains silent and practically motionless._

_Frisk tried to discuss with him, but he’d rather have her away than close._

_He has his reasons, a human who welcomes him so suddenly, there is a lot of reasons to be suspicious._

_But today, it’s different._

_*why did you bring me here?_

**_Frisk had endured a lot throughout her life. She had her ups and downs._ **

**_But she always remained what she was._ **

**_Determined._ **

**_And she couldn’t let someone give up without her doing something._ **

_She stops in the middle of her task and looks at him._

_Then she smiled at him nicely._

_"Because I couldn’t leave you alone at such a time and place."_

_*why not?_

_"Would you rather die?"_

_*...maybe._

**_But I’m not strong. I’ve never been strong._ **

**_Papyrus had always been behind me to encourage me._ **

**_But there was no one there for doing it._ **

**_The will to live was gone._ **

_She doesn't answer after his whispered remark._

_It's when she finishes cutting the vegetables, that she moves away from the kitchen to sit in front of him._

_"Sans..."_

_He raises his eye lights to make her understand that he's listening._

_"I know I may seem suspicious, that I’m looking for something in return but I’m not. The reason you’re here is that I want you to continue living, that you’re not alone. I’d rather preserve life than live it."_

_*rather hypocritical for a human who has just cut off life._

**_Frisk had these principles: to preserve life, to help others, always to remain determined._ **

**_At first, I saw nothing but hypocrisy._ **

**_As if she was doing good to reassure herself about all the sins she had committed._ **

**_But later, I realized that Frisk was a real angel._ **

**_And that she should never have set foot on this filthy land._ **

_He points to the carrot cut in the kitchen._

_She sighs when she sees what he shows._

_"I’m talking about people with a conscience, a logic, a knowledge, and ability to think, Sans."_

_He doesn't look at her._

_"Sans… Who did you lose that day?"_

_*…_

_He can’t look at her, his hands tremble when he remembers the horrible event that happened in front of his eyes._

_His brother’s scarf is attached to his arm._

_*it was the day after my brother died._

_"Oh... family."_

_She inhales and approaches him._

_She hugs him, but he doesn’t return her hug, always disoriented._

_"Do you think he would have liked to see you like this? To hear you say such things? Would he have accepted that you die so early? Would he have preferred that you stop everything, that you give up?"_

_*...no._

_She’s tightening her hug._

_"It’s hard, Sans. I know it. I’ve also experienced it. Seeing our friends, our family die in front of our eyes without being able to do anything. It’s a horrible experience."_

**_She lived so much more than I did._ **

**_And yet she was the one helping me._ **

_He still shaking._

_"Sometimes you wonder, "Why them? Why not me? Why am I still alive?" We wonder what justifies our life from now on, we feel ourselves dying."_

**_*why her?_ **

**_*what did she do?_ **

**_*she doesn’t deserve it._ **

**_*i don’t deserve her._ **

**_*who’s to blame?_ **

**_T h e m ._ **

**_*it's them._ **

_*…_

_"And… I can’t blame you for feeling that way. I just want you to understand that your brother loved you. So much that he let you go."_

_*i...i should have…._

_"We could have done a lot of things, but it’s too late now. That doesn’t mean we have to give up."_

_*…_

_"If you cannot live for yourself, live for him. Live as he should have. Live for two."_

_*...i… don’t know…_

_"It will be hard, Sans. But… one day, this life will be yours and you will end up enjoying it."_

_She closes her eyes as she hears Sans who begins to sob._

_He slips his arms around her in turn._

_"And I’ll be there every step of the way."_

**_Liar._ **

_________________

_Frisk silently looks at her many shelves filled with jars, cupolas, and ingredients of all kinds._

_*what are you doing?_

_She turns her head and looks at who’s staring at her, curiously._

_"Oh. I’m making a potion."_

_*why do? you’re alone._

_She smiles._

_"Indeed. Mainly, these potions are for me or for the people I come to help. So I specialize more in cure and medicine."_

**_She’s always been too kind._ **

**_... maybe that’s why she ended up like this._ **

_She takes several jars and goes down the ladder._

_"But neither should defensive and offensive spells be neglected. Specializing in a category is good. But neglecting another is taking the risk that in one situation you will need it."_

_She lays it all on a table, delicately._

_*frisk._

_"Hm?"_

_*why didn’t you fight with humans?_

**_Frisk has always been extremely stubborn, or determined, as she said._ **

**_This led her to many dangerous situations._ **

_She shuts her mouth._

_*you are a strong and gifted witch, and yet…_

_"Yet I have neglected this talent for my principles, I know."_

_She sighs and closes her eyes, remembering the old remarks she had had._

_"You don’t know how many times I’ve heard that kind of remark."_

_*…_

_"Yes, I could have put this talent to good use, earn money, fame and titles by committing horrible acts but I refused everything I could have earned because I have a moral, integrity that doesn't allow me to commit these acts."_

**_D e a d._ **

_She looks down on the cauldron._

_"I was considered a traitor. My reputation collapsed with a few words. I was rejected, humiliated and destroyed in just a few hours."_

**_The great and powerful Determination, the hope of Humans, was nothing in just a few hours with her few words._ **

**_But Frisk was firm, and many had to pay the price for her determination._ **

**_At least that’s what she says._ **

**_But to me, she still had a limit and she refused to cross it, no matter what they put her through._ **

**_She stayed on her own._ **

**_Despite everything, she’s still her._ **

_*…_

_"But I continued to stand up, to maintain my position on what the war against the Monsters will bring: nothing. And that it was better to learn to live with them than to seek to eradicate them. But my word was no good now. Only some true relatives and friends continued to walk by my side."_

_She opens a bottle and sighs, slips a few drops into the pot and closes the container._

_"... And these people, who continued to believe in me, paid the price for my insolence."_

_She looks at him._

_"Do you know the story of Determination, Sans?"_

**_Determination, the all-powerful witch who rebelled against the decision of Humans, and who had to watch her loved ones, friends and supporters die burned._ **

**_A lesson for all the otherwise people who would dare to rebel._ **

**_We never heard from her again._ **

_*it wasn't the witch who had great magic skills but who rebelled against the decision of … humans…_

_The two lights in both eyes disappear as he understands what is happening._

_*you are determination._

_She bows her head slowly._

_*is it true that…_

_He'stops._

_"... Go on, Sans."_

_She encourages him, but he hesitates._

_*...that all your relatives are have been condemned to death, burned alive?_

_"..."_

_She’s shaking and not looking at him._

_"... Yes. In front of my eyes."_

_*...frisk._

_"I couldn’t do anything. I was being held back, and in panic, my mind blocked everything. I could only watch and listen to their cries of pain, lamentations, and supplications."_

_*…_

_"They thought that… making me see such a nightmare would make me accept anything."_

_*why didn’t you do it?_

_"Because they had already taken the lives of my loved ones, my family. I didn’t want to… participate in a massacre where others would also lose loved ones."_

_She smiles, saddened._

_"I’m a little guilty though. I couldn’t fight them either. No matter how horrible things they did. I couldn’t … get on the monster side so I was a coward and hid here."_

_*…_

_"I'm … sorry."_

_*it's okay. i mean… you made your decision. it’s too late to back out._

**_It’s not your fault, Frisk._ **

**_On the contrary, you fought, you wanted to cooperate, live with monsters._ **

**_But when no one wants to listen, is it better to keep quiet or speak louder?_ **

_He sighs and smiles._

_*and then what would it have changed if we had you at our side? More or less adept of magic, nothing would have changed. There were too many humans._

_He closes his eye sockets._

_*it wouldn’t have made a difference._

**_Look where you ended up now._ **

**_Look where I am now._ **

_________________

_She twitches when she hears a mess coming from the back room._

_It’s her workshop, the main place where she makes her potions and stores her ingredients._

_Why…_

_"Sans?"_

_He screams when he sees her and the bottle that was in his hand falls to the ground and breaks._

_He's on a small stool in front of the huge pot, from where a cloud of smoke comes out._

_Nothing unusual or alarming._

_*i… i’m sorry, i didn’t want to…_

_"What are you doing?"_

_*nothing! i… will stop right now, i promise!_

_He descends precipitously from the stepladder taking care not to step on the pieces of glass._

_*i’ll...i’ll clean up!_

_Then he stops when he sees her smile sweet and reassuring._

_She kneels and runs her hand over his skull, gently._

_"You don't have to be afraid, you know."_

_He lowers his head, he sees every piece of glass, big or small, turning blue and then floating to the trash can that stands a little further._

_He looks, amazed at the spectacle he is witnessing._

_"Can you use your magic, Sans?"_

_He looks at her and sees her right hand surrounded by a bluish glow that slowly disappears._

_*...a little. i… can make bones._

_He looks down, embarrassed._

_*...but… i can’t do much, my bones don’t even hurt._

_She’s smiling._

_"It’s okay. You have plenty of time to learn."_

_*but…_

_"Do you want me to teach you magic, Sans?"_

_He stares at her, right in the eye._

_*...would you do that?_

_"Of course."_

_She reaches out to him and he puts his hand in her palm._

_"We’ll start with the basics. Okay? And then, one day, you’ll master your magic perfectly."_

**_So much so that I would surpass the laws of magic._ **

**_Anything to get you back, Professor._ **

**_Anything._ **

_________________

_*can we bring dead back, professor?_

_She trembles and looks at him, smiling nervously._

_"Sans, I already told you to not to call me that."_

_She drops a long stem of an unknown plant into the cauldron._

_*can we bring the dead back, frisk?_

_"... Sans..."_

_*can we?_

_She turns around slowly and looks at him sadly._

_"Sans..."_

_*i’m just curious, that’s all._

_"You’re a terrible liar, Sans."_

**_You’re just very observant, Frisk._ **

_*…_

_"Sans… Look at me, please."_

_He looks at her, nervously._

_*i did nothing wrong, i just…_

_"I'm not scolding you, Sans."_

_*...but you are disappointed._

_She closes her eyes._

_"No, I’m more… saddened… and a little guilty."_

_She’s dropping to his level._

_"Sans... Death. Life. These are very particular notions in our society and the world in general. These notions are the basis of many things. You, me, this plant and this bird that flies in the sky."_

_*…_

_"One day or another, life leaves to give way to death. It's a cycle. We cannot break it. We cannot and must not, Sans."_

_*but…_

_"When one is born, another dies. It's a cycle. And if that person who dies comes back… It's not just a taboo that is broken, it's a law, a cycle that is cut and that can never come back. This balance can be broken by a single spell, a single action."_

_*...does this spell exist?_

_"No. He must not exist, Sans."_

_*...yet this cycle is already broken. The king and queen of monsters, they are boss monsters. They are immortal._

_"Until they have children."_

_*but if they don’t?_

_"Oh. Trust me, when you have eternity, you have plenty of time to find the right person to have children."_

_*and if they don’t want it, huh? they will remain immortal._

_"Immortality is more a curse than a gift, Sans."_

_*...if you say so._

_She’s going back to her potion._

_*can’t a resurrected person die afterward?_

_"Sans."_

_*okay, okay._

**_I already knew it. I saw it._ **

**_The forbidden spell._ **

**_RESET._ **

**_I knew he was completely out of my reach back then._ **

**_Heh._ **

**_But now—_ **

**_It’s only a matter of time._ **

**_Frisk._ **

_________________

_*PAPYRUS!_

_He cries as he wakes up, and from his left eye socket, a blue glow emanates, lighting the whole room with a kind of disturbing fog._

_His hand swings in emptiness and his tears begin to appear._

_*NO! NO!_

_He gets more and more panicked._

_*why…why…_

_"Sans..."_

_A figure enters the room, it's Frisk who steps in cautiously, worried._

_"Are you all right?"_

_*no. he died. he should have… i should have…_

_He puts his hands on his eye sockets and tries to hold the tears._

_She comes up to him and gently hugs him._

_"Shhh… it’s going to be okay… it’s going to be okay..."_

_*papyrus… papyrus…_

_________________

_They are outside this time. Sans looks at the sun carefully._

_*frisk._

_"Hm?"_

_She stands up as she carefully removes the thorns from certain plants._

_*do you think the sun is made of magic?_

_She raises her eyes in turn but hides the vision with her hand to avoid too bright rays of the sun._

_"Who knows, Sans. No one has yet managed to go higher than the birds in the sky. Maybe one day we’ll have the answer to that question."_

_*you think i’d know?_

_"Hm? What do you mean?"_

_*well… i'm a monster, so i live much longer than humans._

_"Indeed, monsters can live for centuries, even millennia depending on their health."_

_*so?_

_She smiles, amused._

_"You want to go beyond the clouds, Sans?"_

_*i want to reach the stars._

_The two lights of his two eyes are shining._

_His smile is genuine._

_She closes her eyes._

_"You’ll turn into a star trying to reach them."_

_*really?_

_He seems excited about it._

_"Pfff… I don’t know, Sans. There are so many legends that revolve around the stars."_

_He looks at the sky, fascinated._

_*i want to be the constellation of the skeleton._

_"You mean the skellation?"_

_He chuckles._

_*...yeah. the skellation. i want to orbit around the stars._

_She sighs._

_"Well, it doesn’t change that you’re still on earth, for now. Come help me instead of daydreaming."_

_He ignores her and doesn’t move._

_*will you come with me?_

_"What do you mean?"_

_*...reach for the stars._

_She sighs and closes her eyes._

_*you could be the constellation of the witch or…_

_"Sans, I'm human. Not…only a mage."_

_*…_

_"I have a lower life expectancy than y..."_

_She stops when she feels Sans hugging her._

_*don't leave._

_"I won’t, Sans, but, that’s life, I..."_

_*don't!_

_"We don’t really choose, you know. It’s just..."_

_*don't die!_

_She sighs and sits down. He lays his head on her chest and holds back the tears that threaten to sink._

_"I’m not planning to die soon, Sans. I intend to live my life as long as possible, so don’t cry, okay? I’m here. And I’ll still be here."_

**_... Yeah. Right._ **

_________________

_*say, frisk, why are fruits sweeter than vegetables?_

_"I don’t know, Sans. 'Cause is that how it is?"_

_*and why…_

_"Go to sleep, Sans. Tomorrow we’ll see how to do with Indigo Soul Mode, okay? Then I want you to rest properly."_

_*but…_

_"Go. To. Bed."_

_________________

_He dips a finger in the substance and tastes._

_*...hm… thyme? and there is a plant with large leaves that don’t grow very far? oh! and the magic bays of hotland! and… uh… what the hell is that?_

_He looks at her strangely._

_"It’s a secret ingredient!"_

_*okay? what is it?_

_"You can’t know it, Sans. It’s up to you to find out yourself."_

_*but!_

_"No, Sans."_

_*why? it would be much more convenient if you told me._

_"Because you have to learn to fend for yourself, Sans."_

_*…_

_"Just in case I’m not here."_

_He stares at her silently._

_But she’s not looking at him._

_"You never know what life has planned for you."_

_*don’t say that._

_She blinks and looks surprised._

_*you promised me. you said you won’t go! so stop saying…_

_He’s growling._

_*just stop it._

_She smiles, sighs and closes her eyes._

_"You’re right. It’s not good to be too pessimistic, is it? Everything will be fine!"_

_He nods._

_But her melancholy glance only looks at the entrance of the cave, sadly._

**_Whywhywhywhywhywhy_ **

**_Why would you leave me?!_ **

_________________

_She yawns when she smells something special._

_She goes into her workplace._

_The work table is full._

_Sans turns around and seeing her as he continues his work._

_*oh. you're awake._

_"Sans? What are you doing awake at this hour?"_

_*breakfast is ready, i put it on the kitchen table._

_"What are you doing?"_

_*i’m trying something. don’t worry._

_"Sans..."_

_*it’s safe, don’t panic like that! it’s in your book._

_"It doesn’t tell me what you’re doing."_

_*just go eat, i’m coming, it’s almost over._

_She sighs and takes a look at the open grimoire on the table._

_"... a love potion?"_

_Sans shouts and drops the container in the pot, he rushes to take it back._

_*n-no! you’ve got the wrong page, it’s next!_

_She turns a page._

_"... Sans, it's an aphrodisiac."_

_*no! the other one!_

_She goes back two pages._

_He shakes and is completely blue, and tries to calm down as best he can._

_"... it’s another love potion."_

_He turns back quickly._

_A smirking smile appears on her lips._

_"... So..."_

_*shut up._

_"You decided to specialize in potions of love and affection or..."_

_*just curious._

_"Hm, hm, hm."_

_*don’t look at me like that!_

_"You know that kind of potion doesn’t make you fall in love?"_

_*yes… they only make the victim more emotional and loving._

_She keeps her mouth shut._

_"... So… guess I’m supposed to be that person."_

_*…_

_He’s still not looking at her._

_"Don’t you think I give you enough affection?"_

_*n-no! you…_

_He sighs._

_*you… never takes me seriously, and constantly treats me like a child. while i’m fully capable of taking care of myself now, i control my magic perfectly well, so i’d just like to… that you take into account my behavior, my opinion… while in general… more seriously._

_"Sans..."_

_She sighs._

_"I’m sorry if you feel that way..."_

_*no, i’m fine. it’s ridiculous, i…_

_"That wasn't my intention."_

_She smiles at him._

_"I’ll try to be more careful, okay?"_

_She passes her hand over her skull, affectionately and slips away towards the kitchen._

_He sighs._

_*...right, you still don’t take my feelings seriously._

_________________

_*frisk?_

_"So you’re the mountain witch?"_

_"So the legend is true, huh?"_

_Frisk says nothing and stands straight._

_Sans is always hidden behind the bushes._

_"Pff… She’s all fragile."_

_"Come on, let’s take her back to the village, imagine their faces when they see the famous Determination is still alive."_

_"Always as cowardly as ever!"_

_"Go away."_

_She opens her eyes._

_"Oh? Did you say something?"_

_"I won’t repeat myself. Go and don’t come back."_

_"It's you who will leave! With us!"_

_*leave her alone._

_He comes out of the bushes and automatically summons bones._

_"Sans! No!"_

_"A monster or something?"_

_"Do they still exist?!"_

_"She kept it with her, a monster!"_

_"You dirty traitor, you’ve become worse than we thought, Determination."_

_"Kill them, kill them!"_

_"Neither of them will leave alive!"_

_________________

_Frisk trembles as the lives of the three young men have been taken from them._

_*it’s okay, it’s okay._

_He runs his hand through his hair._

_*it’s all right._

_"No, Sans. You don’t understand. They will notice that they will have disappeared. Others will come and they… and you..."_

_*it’s just a disappearance, there are hundreds of them during the year, frisk._

_"But it’s Mount Ebott, Sans! It’s… They… I don’t want..."_

_*and even if they do come, we will defend ourselves._

_"We cannot defend ourselves against all humanity, Sans!"_

_He stays quiet all the time._

_She’s falling on the floor now._

_"I don’t want to… We have to go, run somewhere."_

_*and where? we are in the middle of nowhere, frisk! human villages surround the whole region, we can not flee."_

_"But we must try! If we stay, they will come!"_

_*then they come!_

_"You don’t get it!"_

_*no, i don’t understand, frisk. they are only three humans, they have no title, they are neither soldiers, nor wise men, nor knights. they have no value. humans won’t care._

_"But..."_

_*everything will be fine. and no matter if they come, the underground is our playground, we can very well protect ourselves by using the different areas that compose it._

_"I'm afraid..."_

_*i know, frisk. me too._

_He sighs._

_*me too._

**_... humans are curious. And when an event hit Mt Ebott, it was a great excuse to check out the surroundings and discover the legend hidden behind._ **

**_Frisk knew about it._ **

**_She knew about it._ **

**_…_ **

**_Why…?_ **

_________________

_Sans yawns._

_"Damn."_

_He sighs and starts to walk out, wanting to see the sunrise._

_But he sees a familiar hat on the floor._

_He stops._

_*no._

_Frisk’s hat, the one she never let go._

_His hand will automatically squeeze the scarf of Papyrus which is still hanging on his arm._

_*nonononono…_

_He’s running to the surface._

_But there’s no one left._

_Just the remnants of a recent battle._

_And black smoke in the distance._

_*frisk…_

_He takes his hat and teleports as far as he can and runs towards the fire._

_He hates this growing feeling within him._

_He refuses to believe it._

_He refuses to believe it._

_He hears the laughter, the applause of humans as he approaches._

_But he only hears one sound afterward._

_The cry of pain._

_And it smells like burnt flesh._

_Frisk is being burned._

_He stops right there._

_All humans shout and cheer at the death of the witch._

_He sees their victorious smiles, the glimmer of joy and hope in their eyes as if they were rid of the worst garbage._

_They don't notice, they don't grimace at the sight of the burnt flesh of Frisk._

_They ignore her cries, her lamentations._

_They don’t see her life starting to go away._

_They don’t see her soul breaking little by little as the flames burn her alive._

_"S-Sans..."_

_He can’t even cry._

_He is only shocked by the nightmare he is witnessing._

_"S-save...your...self..."_

_And he sees the last glimmer of life in her eyes disappear as her body continues to burn._

_And then suddenly, a lock that was always extremely well-held breaks._

_His control is no longer his._

_He cries out her name with all his strength. And the tears begin to flow._

_Humans turn around, they call to take up weapons and kill him._

_But Sans doesn't see anything, Sans doesn't hear anything._

_He doesn’t see living things._

_He only sees numbers._

**_LOVE._ **

**_EXP._ **

_And that makes him mad._

_And in his rage, he summons his secret weapon, the one Frisk didn’t know, the one he worked in secret._

_The Gaster Blasters._

**_*b u r n i n h e l l._ **

_________________

*heh. what an incredible journey we’ve been through, huh?

All he does is talk in the void.

He stands in the workshop, in a deplorable state.

*i’ve maintained this place very poorly, forgive me. i’m much less meticulous than you, you know, you can’t blame me.

He opens a container and drinks its contents.

He growls when he feels the energy flowing through his body.

**Sans?**

**LV 16**

*heh. and here we are, after all this time.

He laughs.

*all this time has been searching for everything, all made up.

He sighs.

*maybe i could even bring back paps, who knows…

His left eye becomes red.

*who tries nothing gets nothing, huh?

A button appears in front of him.

**RESET**

*so, yes, i know, it’s a taboo. it’s a cycle that shouldn’t be interrupted. that it’s prohibited.

His smile is getting bigger.

*but you know what? i d o n t c a r e .

He presses the button.

*if life refuses to give me my fairy tale… well…

**RESET**

*i would write it myself.


	7. Day 7: Valentine's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dusttale: Scattered Dust  
> Love.  
> LOVE.  
> The two terms can often be confused.  
> Sans knows the two different facets of it.  
> Valentine’s Day.  
> The day of love.  
> A so-called romantic day that can lose all its meaning if you confuse love with LOVE.  
> Based on the ending you chose for them, in your opinion, which sense of Love did they take for Valentine’s Day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Spoilers for the different endings of Frans (Dusttale): Scattered Dust  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119330/chapters/50256233
> 
> Does Valentine’s Day celebrate love or the idea of love?

Sans was confronted with many obstacles in his life.

He was a scientist by his father’s side, and then one day he was appointed Judge of Souls when his father’s existence was completely erased.

And then he finds himself locking himself in his room and looking for all the means to get out of the cycle of Resets in which he was locked up and finally make one of the worst decisions of his life.

He finds himself alone, covered in dust, locked in a world of hallucinations to stay as sane as possible. And he begins to sow terror in other worlds alongside other Sanses who have also made bad decisions.

And there he is.

Closest to the climax of his happiness.

He doesn’t see how he could have more.

He has his brother, the sky, the cooperation of humans to accept a new species.

And he is loved and loves in return.

…

But life likes to remind him that there’s always something better.

"Hey."

Sans knows that Valentine’s Day was coming soon, but he finds no interest in such events.

Why have one day to celebrate love? Love should be celebrated every day.

But he’s dating Frisk.

And she’s attached to that kind of nonsense.

"Happy Valentine’s Day!"

She hands him a box shaped like a red heart, clearly handmade.

*...my name is sans.

"Don’t be ignorant! You know what it is!"

He rolls his eyes but lets her into the apartment he shares with Papyrus.

*whatever.

"Hey! That’s not nice! I spent the whole afternoon on it, you know!"

*...i can see that.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

He takes the box and lays it delicately on the kitchen table.

Frisk is silently staring at him.

*...why are you looking at me like that?

"... Nothing."

She looks away, clearly disappointed.

He sighs, exasperated. He doesn’t like this kind of event, but he hates, even more, a sad Frisk.

*you want to go somewhere?

She looks up, surprised but very excited about an outing.

"We can go to that little festival in the town. They sell a lot of things! Maybe even ice creams."

*...it is february.

"Pfff… Like you’d miss an opportunity to get ice cream flavored coffee ."

*i don't…

"You can’t lie to me! Sans! I can read your expression!"

*...whatever.

He quickly takes the keys to the apartment.

*hurry up, i’m not waiting for you.

"So rude… It’s the festival of love, you know!"

*and so what?

"You could be a little more romantic..."

*i’m not going to change just for a stupid day…

"Sans..."

He growls but turns to her and takes her arm.

He pulls her towards him and kisses her quickly.

*happy?

She laughs slowly.

She slowly takes off his hood and slips her hands around his neck.

*sunshine?

She kisses him slowly and gently.

"Better."

_______________

He opens his eye sockets quickly.

He looks at his hands.

*𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖?

He turns his head.

Dream looks at him worried.

Sans sighs then rises slowly.

*𝕐𝕠𝕦'𝕣𝕖 𝕠𝕜𝕒𝕪? 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕙𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕤𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡.

*everything is fine, dream…just…

He sighs slowly.

*just a dream. a beautiful dream.

Dream remains silent for a few moments.

*𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕜?

*yeah.

*𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖…

*i’m all right, dream.

He looks at his hands carefully.

*it’s valentine’s day today, right?

*𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕝, 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕕𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕤, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨… 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕗𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕤 𝕕𝕚𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕝𝕪. 𝔹𝕦𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤, 𝕪𝕖𝕤, 𝕚𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤.

*...i see.

*You want us to go…

*nope.

He raises his head.

*let’s go. we’re already wasting a lot of time here.

Dream sighs and makes one of his portals appear.

*𝔸𝕝𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥…

He enters into it.

Sans remains silent and then smiles, sadly.

*happy valentine’s day, sunshine.

_______________

_"Happy Valentine’s Day, Sans!"_

The monster in question opens his eye sockets.

Frisk’s ghost is looking at him, enthusiastic.

*...valentine?

_"It’s the day of love."_

*glad to hear it.

_"Love, Sans! Or LOVE. Whatever you want."_

*i'm taking the second option.

She rolls her eyes.

_"We should do something special..."_

*like?

_"I don’t know… Something fun..."_

*you could save some monsters for me to kill again.

_"No!! Something romantic."_

*this is very romantic.

She groans.

_"Hey Sans… Would you smooch a ghost?"_

*would you smooch a skeleton?

She laughs.

_"Pfff… Of course!"_

She kisses him gently.

He looks at her affectionately.

_"I would only kiss one, though."_

But if someone, out of misfortune, falls here, he would see Sans talking and looking lovingly into emptiness.

A corpse is still standing in the snow next to him.

But Sans never looks at it.

It reminds him of the choice he made.

_______________

*frisk!

She turns her head.

Sans waves his hand.

But she’s not answering.

*frisk?

The skeleton in his robe is looking at her, worried.

"Oh. Hey, Paci."

*paci?

She blinks.

"Paci?"

*why are you calling me that?

"I… I don’t know..."

She sighs.

"I just have an … unpleasant feeling."

*you want to talk about it?

"Nah… Don’t worry. It must be the rosy mood that’s making me confused."

*frisk… you don’t have to keep it all to yourself. Is this one of your episodes?

She sighs.

"I don’t think so. It’s just a feeling."

She smiles at him.

"Don’t worry! It’s just… disconcerting. Nothing alarming… Why are you here?"

*…

He stays quiet all the time.

*you know… what day it is?

"... Yes! We are..."

She keeps her mouth shut.

"I forget."

*it seems.

He laughs softly.

*i expected you to knock on my door at a too-early hour for that, but instead, you’ve been sitting on that bench all day.

"I forgot Valentine’s Day!"

*it’s nothing serious, eh. nobody’s gonna blame you.

"But..."

*besides, the day’s not even over, you know.

"Yes, we can..."

She gives up, nervous and clearly uncomfortable.

"We can, uh..."

He looks at her, worried about her condition.

*frisk?

"I… am really not in the mood today, Pac... Sans. I’m sorry."

*no, it’s okay. we can’t do anything. i’m fine. i mean, i love doing nothing, so i’m not gonna complain.

He sits quietly on the bench.

*still, i’m surprised you have so little motivation. you’re the one who kept yelling that you had a super-prepared plan for us for today.

"I know, I know..."

*...did something happen?

"... More like something didn’t happen..."

*what?

"Nothing… Just..."

She looks into the void silently.

"A feeling… As if… someone is missing."

**_ *sunshine? _ **


End file.
